Remedy For Guilt
by sleeplesspenseive
Summary: The daughter of Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange, Lyra, is offered the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. A secret affair with a colleague, discovering the cure for a disease, cursed artefacts. Who knew that being a Hogwarts Professor was such a rollercoaster? M for smut. Light BDSM and lots of drama.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Hi there, this is my first fic that I've written since my Naruto and One Direction fandom days. The idea came to me as I was rereading the Harry Potter Books and craving to create a character that was more mature and going through the Harry Potter Universe. I guess it's a bit self-indulgent and self-insert/Marry Sue-esque but I hope someone sees it as more than that. I've been posting on AO3 and tumblr under the same pen name but wanted to reach out and broaden my audience. I do have plans for a sequel with dotpoints all written out on how it will play it during the Harry Potter years.

Just a warning it is marked mature for sex scenes in later chapters so it is targeted for older audiences 18+. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Anyway, let us begin. I hope you enjoy.

 **As of 27/12/18 I have updated all the chapters in an effort to regain some muse for my writing. Please check out my tumblr sleeplesspensieve and lyraxlestrange if you can't get enough of my story. Feedback is always appreciated.**

Chapter One – St. Mungo's

Lyra Lestrange sat quietly at her desk, head in her hands with stacks of paper towering above her. Her dark, unkempt hair was tied into a loose ponytail so it would not distract her from the work she needed to complete, yet her mind still found excuses. Her attention began to wane; she pressed her fingers against her eyelids and pushed them down her nose as if she was attempting to wipe the heaviness of exhaustion away. Her tiredness was a result of years of broken sleep which she blamed on studying too hard, but was truly due to the demons of her past. Her actions weighed heavy on her soul and she questioned whether she had made the correct decision.

The decision in question was her career, Lyra Lestrange was a healer. It was a peculiar job choice if one considered her family history; a healer in amongst a family of witches and wizards that were responsible for the pain and suffering of countless people. In a way, Lyra believed that becoming a healer would allow her to make amends with the world and the wizarding community on behalf of what her parents had done, along with some 'minor' things she had done too.

Her parents were none other than the infamous Death Eaters, Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange. With her parentage came the expectation that she would learn the Dark Arts and follow in their footsteps to serve the Dark Lord. At a young age she had already witnessed a variety of dark acts that no child should ever witness and when she finally began her schooling at Durmstrang Institute she found herself excelling at the Dark Arts. But soon after she had started, the Dark Lord had fallen and she witnessed the arrest of her parents and subsequent downfall of the Death Eaters.

She remained at Durmstrang, studying diligently and making friends but when the man who betrayed several of her family members came to sit as Headmaster of Durmstrang, Lyra found herself taking justice into her own hands, resulting in her expulsion. After a short trial, Lyra was offered a fresh start at Hogwarts; her new Headmaster believing there was good in her. In an attempt to escape the association with her name she took on her mother's maiden name under the Headmaster's advice.

Unfortunately, it only took a year until Lyra Black's true identity was revealed and the burden of the Lestrange name came to haunt her once more. With reluctance, she took her old name back and with it came old habits. She attracted a group of children with Death Eater parents much like herself and it didn't take too long for a prank to go wrong, almost killing a student. Against the judgement of other teachers, Professor Dumbledore decided her punishment would be to assist in the care of the student she had injured. It was during this punishment that Lyra was confronted with the severity of her actions and decided to hone her talents into healing magic leading to this moment, right here.

Lyra had just completed two years of full time study and had been working as a Trainee Healer at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries and Maladies. With another two years of work and training, Lyra would become a fully qualified Healer. But despite being so close to that finishing line, Lyra just couldn't help but doubt whether she was on the correct path.

The job was nothing like she expected, mopping up vomit and excrement, feeding senile patients and drowning in paperwork that her superiors would rather not address. Although the paperwork was considerably better than the other grunt work required if she wanted paperwork she could've just settled for a desk job at the Ministry of Magic. She craved something more stimulating and interactive.

Lyra's first rotation as a Trainee healer was the Janus Thickey Ward; a ward for those afflicted by permanent spell damage. In amongst those residents were her parents' victims, Lyra's first victims, Alice and Frank Longbottom. When her eyes first lay sight of them she could feel the bile rise up in her stomach in recognition. Lyra was there the day that they had lost their minds. In fact, she was encouraged by her mother to use the unforgivable curse that put them in that state.

Guilt weighed heavy on her as she worked with them; assisting them with basic duties such as showering and feeding them and watching them receive visitors once a week. They had a young boy, Neville, who she learned was the same age as her cousin Draco, due to start schooling at Hogwarts the following year. She'd watch as he tried to communicate with his parents that were merely shells of themselves. She felt so sorry for him, that he had lost his parents and that he wound up being raised by a strict witch who didn't understand how delicate he was.

Lyra on the other hand had never been delicate. Perhaps now she could be considered that given how sensitive she was being as of late. Every night, those memories came to play in her dreams and every day, she felt her resolve weaken. Despite them being a reminder as to why she was here, she couldn't help but question herself more and more.

At times like these she would debate in her head whether it was preferable to see the Longbottom family in their current state or whether she was better off dealing with all this paperwork. Lyra rested her head on her desk and closed her eyes briefly. Maybe she could just turn off for a bit, everything would be so much more bearable. The darkness of sleep captured her and for a moment she felt peace.

But still, that peace was fleeting.

All too quickly, her dreams consumed her and it was filled with screaming. Screams of a woman and man she could not escape. A shrill laugh came from her mother echoed through her head. It slowly morphed into her own and she could her the sharp pierce of a teenage girl's scream. It felt as though it was never going to end, almost as though she was going to go mad listening to it… But she felt as though she deserved it, given that she was responsible for the screams. She was the one who had brought them to life, now they would haunt her.

A soft knock penetrated her dream and interrupted her sleep. The screams stopped. She shook herself awake and dragged her body to the door to invite her guest in. Lyra expected Miriam Strout to appear before her to ask her to assist in the distribution of dinner amongst the patients in the ward.

Instead, Lyra blinked her soft brown eyes in surprise.

"Professor Dumbledore?" she asked aloud.

The old man smiled at her, his eyes wrinkling further and hiding his twinkling blue eyes. There was no mistaking that man with the long silver hair and beard was none other than her old Professor, Albus Dumbledore. He gave a kind, warm-hearted smile and addressed her, "Lyra Lestrange, such a pleasure to see you again."

Lyra returned the smile before gesturing inside her office. "Come in," she insisted and with a flick of a wand a large armchair appeared in front of her desk. Another flick resulted in the cluttered mess of papers that were on her desk to disappear.

"I won't keep you very long," he said as he took a seat in the summoned armchair. "You seem to be busy."

She shook her head dismissively, "Take all the time you need."

"You're not trying to avoid doing work are you?" the Professor questioned, "That's not like you at all."

She bit her lip as if to keep her secrets and thoughts that had been consuming her at bay. She exhaled a small laugh and smiled, "Not at all, Professor. But it has been so long it'd be nice to catch up. Could I offer you any refreshments?"

"How about some tea?" he asked, waving his wand and summoning it himself. A pot of tea appeared out of thin air and began pouring itself into two tea cups that had appeared with it. "Peppermint ok?"

She nodded and took her seat opposite him.

"How's your job going?" he questioned whilst offering her a cup. "Are you enjoying it?"

"It's wonderful," she lied with a smile on her face. Albus himself had helped secure Lyra's internship position at St. Mungo's so she was careful to show her distaste but one look at her old Professor's face revealed he wasn't all too convinced by her lie. So, she treated him to a bit of sarcasm, "I just love paperwork."

He smiled before taking a sip of his tea. "You were never one for doing any homework, always preferred the practical which I admired but I would always hear the teachers complain about your lack of effort in your assignments."

She chuckled and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I never liked how they'd make you write pages of rubbish just to fill a quota. I like things straight to the point. The paperwork here is ok but it's just not what I imagined I'd be doing."

He nodded whilst taking a sip of his tea.

"So what brings you here, Professor?"

"Business mainly. Hogwarts is short two teachers this term."

"Two?" Lyra repeated in a surprised voice, taking a sip from her own cup.

"Yes," Albus sighed, "Professor Quirrell has taken a sabbatical so I have the mission of filling the post of Muggle Studies as well as Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"Ah," Lyra said, her eyes narrowing as she quickly gathered the direction the conversation was heading. Of course the Headmaster of Hogwarts was a busy man, he didn't have time to make social visits to see old students. He had a plan but she played it coy. "I see and how is that going for you?"

"Muggle Studies is easy enough," the Professor said but he then began to furrow his brow, "But it seems that word has gotten around that the Defence Against the Dark Arts position may be cursed so it has become increasingly difficult to find someone suitable."

"Can't say I'm surprised," Lyra laughed.

He smiled at her, "You're not afraid of curses are you?"

"Me?" she laughed, "Of course not, but I'm not suitable."

"Well, I think you are," he said, "You have great experience with the Dark Arts and performed extraordinarily well on your NEWTS despite having rather incompetent teachers."

"Surely the pursuit of the Dark Arts along with passing exams doesn't make you a qualified teacher."

"I think you could do it," he hummed whilst emptying his tea cup.

"Do you honestly think I'm best suited for the role?" she raised eyebrows questioningly, "Wouldn't you rather Professor Snape? He's wanted it for years and would be a much better teacher for the role."

Professor Dumbledore frowned and shook his head, "I don't believe it would be wise."

Lyra scratched her head before rubbing in it in frustration. She yearned to question him further but she knew what he meant, "How would I differ from Snape in that sense?"

"I believe that you have absolutely no desire to pursue the Dark Arts," he said. "You have seen too much which you do not like and I sense that the guilt weighs heavily upon you."

She looked down in sadness and almost in shame.

"You've worked with them, haven't you?" he asked, "Alice and Frank Longbottom."

Their names tied her stomach up in knots and she found it difficult to answer a simple 'yes' to his question. It was as if her mouth went dry, preventing her from speaking yet her mind was swimming with a thousand unsaid words and her guilt threatened to drown her. The screams almost echoed through her head again and she felt the memory play in front her once more. Her eyes closed quickly as she realised it was in fact Dumbledore that was reading her mind and digging through her thoughts with ease.

"Sorry, I just couldn't help myself," he said.

She let go of those feelings before opening her mouth, though her jaw was tense with the feeling of betrayal. But Lyra was all too forgiving and she found it easier to voice her thoughts, "I did that."

"You didn't," he insisted. "Don't think for one second that you did. You were too young to be responsible."

She felt her jaw tighten once more. Those words were her excuse against the Wizengamot and they all believed it easily, none of them wanting to believe that a child of eleven was capable of such things. But Lyra knew otherwise. For a time, she truly was cruel and that guilt weighed heavy upon her, evident in her dreams.

A brief moment of silence passed where she rubbed her face and wringed her hands before she returned to the subject of teaching. "Honestly, sir," she continued "I'm much too young and I don't think I'd be a good teacher, plus I'm a Trainee Healer now and I'm about to continue my study and -"

"But is that what you want?" Albus interjected, stopping Lyra from listing a pile of excuses that she had obviously been preparing since she had sussed out the direction of their conversation.

She sighed deeply, a frown appeared on her face. For once, she was honest with herself and her state of mind. "I don't know anymore."

"I think it'd be good for you," he said, waving his wand and making the now empty cups disappear. "A year away from your current job might help you put some things into perspective. The school term doesn't start for another month so think about it."

Professor Dumbledore got up and Lyra followed suit.

"It was lovely seeing you, Professor," she said, offering him a handshake. "I'll let you know."

He took her hand, his own frail but firm. "I expect a letter within the week," he said as he turned to leave. "See you soon."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two – The Malfoy Manor

Lyra was not usually one to make impulsive decisions. If she was offered a choice she would weigh each option carefully and map out the pros and cons before deciding. But sometimes her gut would just know which choice was right and soon after her conversation with Dumbledore she had already made up her mind. That didn't mean that she didn't pull it apart for a few days before putting quill to parchment and writing a letter of acceptance. He was delighted to hear from his old student and was keen to know what she had planned for her students.

Her aunt and uncle on the other hand weren't as pleased.

Now, they weren't outraged enough to kick her out of the mansion but it was a persistent topic of conversation over dinner for the weeks interim. They avoided addressing it directly; instead Narcissa would go on about finding a husband whilst Lucius would offer her holidays and internships abroad. Lyra found herself picking up extra shifts and staying late, trying to avoid interacting with her dear Aunt Cissy and Uncle Lucy. She didn't blame them, the two of them had supported her since she could walk. They just wanted her to be making the right decision, even her choice to become a healer was met with some resistance.

Lyra was just grateful the mansion was large so she could easily avoid crossing paths with them but lately she had found solace in the library. Lyra spent her hours at the place she resided mulling over books that she thought would best suit her curriculum. She was still deciding on a book suitable for those in years 6 and 7, knowing that she would actually have to perform the Dark Arts in front of her students. She knew there was no use in hiding from it and only learning the theory. How could one be best equipped if you had to face it in real life if all they had done was read it from a book?

It was lucky that her Aunt and Uncle had kept their library fully stocked. There were hundreds, if not thousands of books lined on the walls stacked on top of one another. It wouldn't surprise her if half of the books were unread or untouched, bought purely to promote the image of wealth. In the centre of the room was a large desk which Lyra was well acquainted with as she had spent her summers as a teenager attempting to read all that she could as well as spending her time studying there whilst in Healing School. It was probably her favourite room within the entire house as it was peaceful and she was usually not disturbed.

The collection of books within the library included old text books of hers as well as her Aunt and Uncle's which she was considering as part of her subject. She waved her wand and a few books were pulled from the shelf and floated to the desk. She was flicking through a book when she was interrupted by a child crashing through the door. The blond boy had his broomstick in tow and looked hopefully towards Lyra.

"Lyra," he drawled, "Can you come and play with me?"

She smiled sweetly at her cousin and stroking the crown of his head. "Sorry Draco, I've got to find a book."

"Well, what book do you need?" he asked as he propped his broomstick against the desk. "I could help you find it?"

She smiled and laughed lightly to herself knowing full well that her 10 year old cousin wouldn't have the faintest idea where to look, "I'm not sure yet, I'm trying to find something good but I need to flip through all of them."

Draco looked deflated. "Well, I'll be outside then. Please come and join me when you can. It's not as fun playing alone." He grabbed his broomstick and walked towards the door, his head hung with sadness.

"Why don't you invite the boys over to play?" Lyra suggested as she closed yet another book and put it aside.

"They're not as good as you," he frowned.

Lyra exhaled a laugh, knowing that soon Draco would exceed her skill at flying and Quidditch. She was never one for sports, instead she found comfort in libraries and with musical instruments but that didn't mean she didn't like the occasional fly.

A woman approached the door to the library which young Draco had left ajar. She had hair as blonde as the child who entered. She beckoned for her son.

"Draco, dear," she said, beginning to fuss over him. "Haven't we told you before not to disturb Lyra whilst she's in the library. She's got important things to do."

"What's so important?" he questioned.

"I've got a new job," she answered, "Just doing a bit of reading up."

"But, I thought you had a job? Aren't you working at that hospital as a healer?"

"I'm taking a break for a while, I'm going to go work at Hogwarts to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"Can I go to Hogwarts with you?"

Lyra smiled, "No sweetie. You're too young. You'll probably go next year."

"I hope so," his mother said. "Your father wants you to go to Durmstrang but Hogwarts is much closer."

"Will you still be there next year?" Draco asked, looking up at his cousin.

"Possibly," she said, wandering over to where the other two stood and ruffling his hair a bit. "But don't worry yourself too much. I'll make time to see you, can't leave my darling cousin alone for too long." She pinched his cheek.

"Go along, dear," Draco's mother dismissed him and he went outside with a small scowl on his face. She turned her attention to Lyra, "Are you sure this is wise?"

"Working at Hogwarts?" she asked. "I think so. I mean, it'll probably only be a year and I can go back to St. Mungo's after and resume my training as a healer."

"But all those mudbloods," her Aunt shuddered at the thought.

"Yet you want Draco to go there?" Lyra raised her eyebrows.

"Scandinavia is much too far away -"

"Is it, dear?" A man with long blonde hair interrupted, gliding into the room and slipping himself into their conversation. "I think it's important that Draco gets an education where he will not be corrupt by filthy mudbloods and be taught how to use the Dark Arts."

"What if he needs something and we're too far away, Lucius?" Concern apparent on his wife's face.

"Well, we sent Lyra there and she was fine," Lucius shrugged.

Lyra laughed as Narcissa objected, "Lyra was expelled."

"With good reason," she interjected. "You can't expect me to go to school with that man in charge. He betrayed us."

"Better to have Karkaroff than Dumbledore as a Headmaster," Lucius said. "Draco needs to learn how to use the Dark Arts."

"Then teach him yourself," Narcissa said before storming out of the room. The door slammed shut behind her.

Lyra smirked and looked towards her Uncle, "You honestly can't blame her. She loves Draco more than anything and you never know Karkaroff might want revenge for what I did to him."

"But Hogwarts? The place has gone to the dogs. Mudbloods roaming about learning how to use magic. Intermingling." His face was upturned in disgust.

Lyra pursed her lips, restraining herself from spill her true thoughts on the matter. Despite her upbringing, Lyra was rather tolerant of those with mixed heritage but she wasn't about to let that slip out. She'd much rather pretend to be a purist than come out as a blood traitor. "Honestly, Uncle," she said. "I'm not sure of anything right not and I feel like it'd be nice to just get away from work for a while."

"Why not go on a holiday?" he asked. "I'll cover your expenses."

"Thanks for the offer but I think I need this," Lyra said as she opened up a book that was sitting on the desk.

"Very well," Lucius said as he walked off.

The Malfoy Manor had been Lyra's home for the past ten years, though she had probably spent more time at school or work. After the fall of the Dark Lord and then the imprisonment of her parents her Aunt Narcissa and Uncle Lucius had taken her in. Once she turned 17 she thought that she may have been able to move to her parents' house but found that the Ministry of Magic had seized most of their assets and would not release it until their passing.

Lyra did not want to impose on the generosity of her Aunt and Uncle for too long, but every time she brought up the prospect of moving out she found resistance. Her Aunt and Uncle insisted that she stay with them until she got married. So Lyra stayed out of convenience but the conversations about marriage seemed to become more frequent and Lyra's patience was beginning to whittle down.

"So, Lyra, when will you find a nice man to marry?" her Aunt asked as the four of them were gathered around the table, dining so Lyra would have nowhere to run.

"There's not many left that we're not related to," she said as she dug into her steak. "Plus I am much more focused on my career."

"Not much of a career if you insist on changing to teaching," Lucius interjected.

Lyra exhaled.

"Honestly, Lyra," Narcissa said, "You'd be a wonderful mother. I don't know why you insist on working so much. Just find yourself a man and get married, that's what I did." She smiled and held Lucius' free hand for a brief moment.

"You never know, I might find myself a nice man whilst I'm at Hogwarts," she jested.

"Where? In a pub at Hogsmeade?" Narcissa scoffed. "Don't be stupid."

"The only decent man there is Severus and he's a half blood," Lucius said.

Lyra recoiled at the thought of seeing her old Professor in that manner. Severus Snape was a man whose name and face passed through Lyra's head often. She knew that Severus was close to her family and he strongly featured in the memories of the days from when her family followed the Dark Lord. Despite the fact that those days were over she knew that her Uncle Lucius kept in close contact with him. Though that was not the reason the Potions Master was a thought that frequented in her head.`

"Miss Lestrange," Severus sneered, "I have half a mind to place you in my first year class. How could you make a mistake on such a simple potion?" He waved his wand and the contents disappeared.

She froze in shock and confusion. She swore she put all the ingredients correctly as she had time and time again. She glanced up at the girl she knew would sabotage her potion but instead of laughter her face was pure white, as if she had seen a ghost. She didn't understand why until her ears tuned back into what her classmates were whispering. "Lestrange?" "Did he say Lestrange?" "As in those Death Eaters?"

She glared at him and he could see by his face that he knew he had made a terrible mistake. Lyra got up from her desk and with a flick of her wand her books slammed shut and packed themselves away into her bag. She stormed off, slamming the door with her wand as hard as she could behind her.

She walked off, straight past the Slytherin common room and made her way upstairs to the Headmaster's office. This was it, her reputation ruined. She had tried so hard to keep her real name a secret. She knew that she'd have to leave the school before word got around.

"What about the Carrow's?" Narcissa asked, bringing Lyra's attention back to the present day. "Weren't they on our side?"

Lyra screwed up her face in disgust, "Isn't Amycus like 30? I'm only 20."

"Can't be too picky now," Narcissa shrugged. "Ten years isn't that big of an age gap."

"I did suggest you could go overseas," Lucius offered, "You could find yourself a foreign pure-blood husband."

"I'm ok," Lyra said, shoving some food in her mouth in an attempt to excuse herself from talking much more.

"How about one of your old school friends from Durmstrang?" he continued, "Don't you keep in contact with any of them?"

Lyra attempted to remain polite and merely shook her head. It was their fault she didn't keep in contact with them, afraid of what Lyra might confide in them over post after her expulsion. She understood it now but it saddened her that she didn't keep in contact with any of them. They would've all moved on by now, made new friends and have careers. Lyra wouldn't fit in so she'd just keep her distance.

"You don't have forever, you know?" her Aunt said, bringing her back to their present. "You're in your prime and those years are just ticking away. Your mother married and had you when she was only 19."

"My mother also joined the Dark Lord when she was 17 and there was probably a lot more pure-blood wizards around back then," Lyra said, "But you guys all went and killed each other, I'll probably have to settle for a half-blood."

"You will not tarnish the Black family name like my blood-traitor sister," Narcissa screeched, bringing the whole table to a halt.

"Now, dear," Lucius said, reaching over and stroking his wife's hand, "We'll find her someone, don't you worry. If not she can marry young Draco here once he's of age."

Lyra shook her head at Draco who was much too young to be listening to this conversation. "Don't worry, I won't let that happen," she said to the young boy seated next to her.

"Well, I do love you," Draco said, smiling at his cousin.

She smiled sweetly back at him, "I love you too Draco."

Lucius and Narcissa continued to discuss Lyra's potential suitors over dinner. She excused herself once she was done and found her way back to the Malfoy Library. She started pouring over different books. It took a few more hours before she had the right one and as soon as she found it she added it to her list and sent it off to Professor Dumbledore. She felt accomplished and confident in her choices, with that she headed to bed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three – An Unexpected Travel Companion

The school term was due to start in a week and Lyra had received a letter a few days prior, inviting her to come around early to set up her classroom and socialise with the other teachers. It was strange to think that those who once taught her a few years ago would soon become her colleagues. Lyra questioned whether she would get along with them, reflecting on the relationship that she had with them during her years as a student. She shrugged off her doubts and assured herself that everything would be fine and if not, well, it was only a year anyway.

Lyra had spent all week sorting through her things and deciding what needed packing. She had set it aside in a corner of her room which had slowly grown bigger as the days went by. Originally, she told herself to only bring the necessities but she had found so many things that seemed necessary whilst she was out shopping. Her Uncle Lucius came by her room the evening prior, asking what she wanted to bring and questioning how she would carry it all with her.

The day had come where it was time for her to go. Lyra insisted on levitating her belongings down to the foyer herself, rejecting the help offered by the Malfoy's house elves. Draco looked longingly at his cousin as she organised her things to be moved. Lyra had been almost like an older sister to him for the years that she had stayed at Malfoy Manor. She had helped Narcissa raise him of course, babysitting him whenever she had come back from school. He had always acted like this when she went to school but over the past few years as she had spent more time at home Draco had grown more attached.

"When will you be back?" Draco questioned.

"I'm not sure but I promise that I'll come visit when I can," Lyra said, giving her cousin a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Three people had entered the room, her Aunt and Uncle, accompanied by a man she had not seen for several years. She felt her heart skip a beat as he approached, her eyes admired his form. The years had been kind to Severus Snape, he looked as though he had not aged a day since she last saw him. Even his hair was at the same length, his face clean shaven and his expression as poised as she recalled it. What was unfamiliar about seeing her old Potions teacher once more was that subtle reaction she felt in her heart and stomach. She simply pushed those feelings aside, deciding it was a simple crush and a result of the lack of intimacy over the past few years.

"Severus has offered to assist you with settling into Hogwarts," Lucius said.

The dark-haired man took a look at Lyra's belongings piled in the house's entrance. He raised an eyebrow and questioned, "Do you honestly need all that?"

"Probably not," she replied in a snarky tone, "But your help is much appreciated."

"Well then," Narcissa began. "Stay safe, don't do anything that would disappoint us." She pulled Lyra in for a hug.

"I won't make any promises," Lyra said with a smirk causing Narcissa to scowl.

Lucius put a hand on her shoulder, "Are you absolutely sure you need to do this?"

"It won't be that bad," she said, kissing him on the cheek. With that, she turned to Snape and said, "Hogsmeade? Let's go."

Severus nodded and they each placed a hand on a pile of belongings. With a quick spin, both Lyra and Severus disapparated from the Malfoy Manor.

Arriving at Hogsmeade filled Lyra with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. She remembered what it was like when she walked down the street with her friends and checked out all the shops. She smiled fondly as she saw the Three Broomsticks where she shared a passionate first kiss behind the building with a Gryffindor boy. It felt as though nothing had changed, though it had only been about three years.

"Will we stand here until night falls, Lestrange?" Snape sneered, pulling her out of her memories that filled her head. "I don't fancy standing here all day as you take your trip down memory lane."

"If you wish," she smiled cheekily, before waving her wand behind her. The trunks and cages she had brought with her levitated a metre above the ground and followed her as she began walking down the familiar road to Hogwarts. Professor Snape seemed disgruntled as he walked beside her but Lyra took no notice of it, her mind was preoccupied on absorbing the sights before her. Hogwarts stood brilliantly in front of the backdrop of the Forbidden Forest. It was truly a remarkable sight to behold, one she felt that she did not take enough time to appreciate during her years there.

"You could've asked your house elf to escort you if you're going to be doing all the work," the wizard said.

"I do recall Lucius saying that it was your offer," she replied.

"We both know that Lucius is a liar."

"So how did he rope you into this?"

"He wants me to keep an eye on you, not that I was going to let you return here without keeping an eye on you."

"Your tone of voice implies that I'm a trouble-maker," she smirked.

"Don't pretend that you're not, Lestrange."

Lyra chuckled to herself in response to Severus' statement and their conversation came to a halt. They both made their way into the castle with no effort to speak to one another. Lyra knew her male companion would not want to engage in chatting and what had been exchanged so far seemed hostile. Each time he addressed her by her surname she could tell it stemmed from contempt. She began humming and singing to herself happily. It wasn't that the silence was uncomfortable, no, she was quite used to not speaking with the Potions Master. After the incident where Severus revealed her name she vowed never to speak to him again. Of course, times change and she was now an adult in a position which required her to interact politely with her old Professor so she would but that did not mean she didn't remember what had happened.

Lyra pressed her head against the wall outside the Headmaster's office. She did not know the password so she just waited. She waited and simmered. She was so angry and upset, her fists clenched at her sides. A whole year had passed and no other teacher had mentioned her last name. She thought she was safe, she was lulled into a false sense of security where she could interact freely with her classmates but now…

Now everyone knew the truth. Anybody who didn't already know the name Lestrange could research her name and find that her parents were infamous Death Eaters, a part of the Dark Lord's inner circle. Anyone could see that she actively participated in the torture of witches and wizards and as a consequence wound up being expelled from Durmstrang Institute, a school that actively encouraged the use of the Dark Arts.

She was convinced that the start of her schooling here at Hogwarts could be a new chapter. She began to warm up to people other than just pure-bloods. The way they even spoke her name in class in those brief moments made her scared and upset. No one would want to be her friend anymore. She lifted her head and let it return where it rested with force and repeated the action. Tears spilled from her eyes and they splattered on the floor.

What would her parents think? What would her Aunt and Uncle think? They would be so disappointed in her. It was hard enough that she got expelled from Durmstrang but she always wound up in trouble and she believed that she honestly tried this time.

Her sadness quickly turned to anger as her mind drifted onto Snape. She hated him. He was supposed to be someone she could trust, someone her family said she could trust. She cursed herself for her foolishness. In that moment she promised herself that she would never speak to the Potions Master again. He did not deserve her time or effort.

"Lyra," a soft old voice called out. "What's wrong?"

Lyra and Severus passed the Headmasters office where her memories played. She sighed sadly to herself and her singing stopped. The rest of the journey continued in silence though she knew where she was going she didn't ask him to leave. A few more minutes passed and they found themselves on the third floor in classroom 3C.

"Well, thanks for escorting me, Professor," she said interrupting the long silence with a wave of her wand she sent her belongings into the office. "I'll be alright from here." She meant for this to be a dismissal of his presence but he lingered.

"I don't think it's wise for you to be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts, Lestrange," he said.

She smiled and laughed, "Now, are you saying that out of concern or jealousy?"

His eyes narrowed. "I am not asking out of concern for your wellbeing but for that of the staff and students. I know your true nature."

Her smile disappeared. "Don't pretend that you know me," she said, "I would never harm anyone in this school. Albus believes that I've changed, don't you?" her head tilted slightly and her expression turned into an evil smile, "Don't you trust your new master?"

"I think he's made a mistake," he said, "inviting you here to teach. You haven't changed at all. So what, you studied to be a healer and suddenly you've reformed. You can't erase what you've done."

"Can you erase what you've done, Severus?" she hissed. "You've done much worse than me and I was there. I've seen it all so don't act you're better than me when you're just as in the wrong as me." She took a deep breath in attempt to calm herself before continuing. "If you think that I'm going to be going around torturing teachers and students, you'll find out soon that you're mistaken," she said. She was tempted to slam the door in his face right then and there but she knew her manners and her place. "I appreciate your assistance, Professor. I'll see you around."

Lyra spent the rest of the day organising her things. She replayed the conversation that she had with Snape over and over again in her head. Could she have said something different? Did she honestly need to be so rude? It felt as if Severus had brought out the worst in her, a smugness seemed to come out; the same attitude that came out whenever she used the Dark Arts and wished to show it off. She knew she couldn't let that happen again. She had to let go of the grudge that she held against him.

It was hard for her to come to terms with things that happened in the past. It almost felt like there were too sides of her fighting to be her dominant personality, one that loved the Dark Arts and wished to gain control over it and another that knew that the best way to exist was to help other people. She reminded herself that in a way teaching could help her achieve the latter.

The situation was made more difficult considering the fact the Professor Snape had acted that way towards her. How was she supposed to move on and do her best if he thought she was here to cause trouble?

Lyra worked well into the night trying to find a place for all the trinkets she had brought along with her. She didn't even realise until she heard a knock on the classroom door.

"Come in!" she shouted from her office. She placed what she was holding In what she decided was the correct place and ran downstairs. She was greeted by a wise old witch with a magnificent pointed hat with a peacock feather sticking out of it. The older witch had a plate of food in her hands which she settled on the desk in the front of the classroom.

"Couldn't help but notice you didn't decide to join us for dinner this evening," the Transfiguration Professor said.

"I honestly just lost track of time," Lyra said. "Thank you so much for bringing me dinner, Professor McGonagall."

"I'm no longer your Professor, dear," she smiled. "You can call me Minerva, of course."

"Well, thank you, Minerva," Lyra said, returning the smile.

"Now don't make this a habit," Minerva lectured. "I expect to see you tomorrow morning for breakfast. Everyone is keen to welcome you and catch up so you better get yourself sorted and off to bed."

"Thank you, Minerva," Lyra said. "I hope you have a good night."

"Don't try to dismiss me," she said. "What happened between you and Severus?"

"What do you mean?"

"He was in a right mood when he came back from escorting you," she said.

Lyra scratched the back of her head, "He was a bit of an asshole."

Minerva rolled her eyes, "I'll set him straight, don't you worry. Now I will leave you to eat and make sure you show up tomorrow morning or I will be extremely disappointed in you. Good night."

Lyra smiled knowing that her disappointment was not something that no student wanted, not that she was a student anymore. She returned the 'good night' and Professor McGonagall nodded curtly as she closed the door behind her. Just as it shut Lyra's stomach rumbled loudly.

"Well, who'd have known?" she said to herself as she eyed the plate of food.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four – Potions**

Sleep has never came easy for Lyra Lestrange. Often she lay in bed thinking too much so she decided that she would stay up fixing her room until she knew she was tired enough to pass out. She woke up in her new sleeping quarters with light pouring through the window above her bed and she felt somewhat rested. Lyra rolled out of bed and got dressed, hoping that she had woken early enough to keep her promise to Professor McGonagall.

Lyra made her way through the empty hallways until she found herself at the staffroom. During the school term teachers would eat in the Great Hall along with all of the students but if they needed some space and privacy they would use the staffroom. Lyra entered the room and the staffing team were gathered around a large table together with plates filled with food. The teachers greeted her with smiles and waves. She looked for a spot and there was a vacant seat between Professor Flitwick and Professor Snape. The Charms teacher waved and patted the spot next to him, encouraging her to sit there. The expression on Snape's face showed that he would rather her not sit there but she expected that with Minerva there he could not object.

Lyra took her spot and engaged happily in conversation with Filius, he also insisted that she call him by his first name.

"Oh, Lyra," he gushed, "I am so happy that you are joining us. Do you think you could help with the frog choir? Or even music classes? I would love for you to perform at the Welcoming Feast or the Founding ball."

Lyra gave a sheepish laugh, "Oh, Professor Flitwick, I haven't touched music since I left Hogwarts."

"Call me, Filius or Fil even," he said, "But that is honestly a shame. You should get back into it, you showed real talent."

During Lyra's schooling years she was involved in the school choir as she showed talent in singing and Albus believed that it would be a great way to forge relationships with students outside her house. It worked initially, Lyra even took up music as an elective subject for her last four years, but there were a few incidents that occurred that caused her to distance herself from the other students. In fact, Lyra didn't have many friends from her years of schooling which she blamed on her study and work commitments but was truly due to laziness.

A few of the teachers conversed with her, including ones that hadn't spoken to her before but Severus did not seem to warm to her like the others did. She noticed him happily chat to other staff members apart from her, including a face she didn't recognised who she assumed was the new Muggle Studies teacher. For some unknown reason she felt a pang of jealousy. She attempted to dive into another conversation as a way to distract herself from her want to gain the Potion Master's approval.

"Lyra," Minerva approached with the witch she felt jealousy for in tow, "This is Charity Burbage, she's new this year to Hogwarts. She's taking over Muggle Studies whilst Quirinus is away."

Charity extended her hand, "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Lestrange."

She smiled in return and took her hand, nodding whilst they shook hands. Charity went on a spiel about muggles, sharing her approach on her subject whilst Lyra feigned interest.

The remainder of meals with the staff seemed to follow the same pattern. Lyra would interact with her old Professors who took interest in what had been happening since she left, she would then retell stories of interesting patients that she had met and then they would dig for how their lessons aided in her treatments. Madam Pomfrey was quite impressed when she joined for dinner one evening and they traded spells and other remedies that they found useful.

There was only a few days left until the Welcoming Feast. It was a Thursday night and she noted Professor Snape leaving early and she decided to follow.

"Professor Snape," she called out, chasing after him. "What's got you in such a rush to leave?"

"I have potions to attend to," he said. The wizard kept his eyes forward, not even looking over to acknowledge Lyra.

"Could I help?" she offered.

He stopped, "And why would you want to do that, Lestrange?"

"Well I have nothing left to prepare for my class," she explained, "So I thought that I'd offer my assistance. I'm not too shabby at potions plus Professor Sprout was chewing my ear off about the plants she's been growing and I honestly only did Herbology cause I had to."

Severus spotted Minerva just leaving the staff room, giving him a stern look as he considered rejecting her offer. "Very well," he said continuing on to the dungeons.

The dungeons of Hogwarts were just as cold, dark and dreary as Lyra remembered. She smiled fondly as they passed the entrance to her old common room. Snape lead her into the Potions classroom where he had many cauldrons ready, some brewing potions she recognised such as Wideye Potion, Calming Draught and different Restorative Potions.

"Are you brewing these all by yourself?" Lyra asked shocked.

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey needed to refill some things and I offered to help," Snape said as he added to sprigs of Wolfsbane to the Wideye Potion.

"Don't stretch yourself too thin," she joked. "But how do you keep track of where you're at with each potion?"

"I did not earn the title of Potions Master for no reason," he said sharply as he completed the potion.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked.

"Well you can brew a Draught of Peace," he suggested, "That is if you remember how to."

"Of course," she headed into the store room and grabbed the necessary ingredients. For the next hour she worked alongside Professor Snape in silence, not wanting to distract either of them from the task at hand. She finished the draught and watched as he finished up the other potions brewing. The Potions Master moved with grace, she concentrated on how his hands moved with precision as he quickly ground his ashphodel into a fine powder and the way he waved his wand as if he was a conductor directing his orchestra, each ingredient entered the potion with perfect timing.

"I don't know how you do it," she said in admiration.

"Practice," he shrugged. He enjoyed the flattery and she could tell as a small smirk crept onto his face.

"Well, I'm sorry I couldn't make as many as you," she said, "I hope its ok."

He peeked at her potion and raised his eyebrows as if he was almost impressed. "It's fine."

"It's been a while since I've brewed a potion," she said. "I usually get stuck behind my desk at St. Mungo's. Guess that's what happens when you're learning."

"Well, if I need any more assistance I will be sure to ask you," he said.

An awkward silence crept up on them, it was as if she was unsure whether she should stay or go. She dug through her brain to think of something she might be able to talk about. She remembered that the Potions Master was around the same age as her when he started to teaching so she decided to enquire about it.

"Um, Professor," she said. "How did you manage, being so young and teaching? I'm worried that the students won't listen because of the age gap."

"They will respect you because you are a figure of authority," he said.

"Easy for you to say," she sighed, "The way you speak is as if you demand it. I don't know if I could pull that off."

"Try," he said. "You should go to bed. Thank you for your help, Lestrange."

She fought herself for a moment before accepting his dismissal. She smiled and said goodnight before taking the long way back to her room. Her hesitation in leaving was due to the fact that she did not feel tired enough to sleep yet. She was sure that once she had settled for bed that her mind would be filled with thoughts and her dreams would leave her restless. She should've asked Professor Snape to whip up something to help her sleep, she had tried a few herself which allowed to her sleep dreamlessly but she did not feel rested. Then again, she hadn't felt that in a long time.

As Lyra went to bed, Severus Snape was bottling the potions that had been completed. He partially regretted dismissing Lyra so quickly as he could have still used her help but he found it difficult to tolerate anyone, particularly young Lyra. He was jealous of course, he had wanted the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts since he first applied at Hogwarts. How could someone of her history be better suited than him to teach the subject? Severus had shown years of restraint from the temptation of the Dark Arts whilst Lyra was the younger than when he originally requested the position. He had pointed this out to the Headmaster but Albus dismissed it.

"Headmaster," Severus asked, "Have you found a new teacher for Defence Against the Dark Arts yet?"

"I'm considering Lyra Lestrange," he said.

"What?!" Severus was shocked. He couldn't comprehend what would lead him to his decision.

"I think she would be a wonderful teacher," he said happily, "Don't you?"

"Lestrange is a girl of many talents," Severus said diplomatically, "I have no doubt that she would excel in teaching as well but I have my reservations." The headmaster raised an eyebrow, prompting Professor Snape to continue. "She is only 20, I was 21 when I first came to you and asked for the position yet you denied me. She has done many things that would have made her end up in Azkaban if she wasn't protected by the Malfoy family. I do not see why you would choose her and endanger your staff and students when I would be perfectly suited for the job."

"Severus," Dumbledore replied, "Whilst I respect your opinion I have already considered all of this. Of course, I think you would be better suited for the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts I do not want to put you in a position where you would be tempted to return to your old ways."

"But-" Severus began.

"I do not believe that was Lyra's old ways but instead her parents," Albus continued. "I think she only pursued it because it was expected of her. You know her parents, even her Aunt and Uncle, and the expectations they would have held for her. I think she has tried her best to become her own person, to separate herself from what her family thinks she should be. She's working at St. Mungo's at the moment, training to be a healer. I think she would be wonderful but her manager has informed she's been in a bit of a slump. I think that this teaching position would be a great opportunity for her."

Perhaps Albus was right, Severus' interactions with Lyra so far had all been rather reasonable, even just now she seemed pleasant and innocent. Yet there was a moment with her earlier that caused to question whether or not Headmaster had made the correct decision. He did not know whether she said it to egg him on or whether she was serious. She of course implied that he was a traitor, now working for Albus Dumbledore which was true but few knew of what truly happened of Igor Karkaroff.

From what he had heard Lyra had spent a year plotting her revenge and broke into his quarters, torturing him for hours using the Cruciatus Curse. It seemed as though she wanted to break him like her parents had done to the Longbottom couple. Very few witches and wizards had heard of this as her Aunt and Uncle had made sure it was swept under the rug. The only reason he was informed was because the staff were made aware of the situation when she was transferred to Hogwarts. The teachers were on guard around her but she showed no indication of repeating her actions and was also a wonderful student so they all warmed towards her.

Snape himself was probably the only teacher that would have been a possible target but she seemed to admire him to an extent. Lyra would have had plenty of opportunities as she often approached him to ask him to teach her the Dark Arts or extra curricular spells.

"Class dismissed."

Lyra took her time packing her belongings, and waited until the red of her class cleared out.

"Professor?"

"Yes, Miss Black," Snape acknowledged.

"I have some concerns about the curriculum."

"Are you questioning my capabilities as a teacher?"

"Of course not, the opposite in fact," she said whilst approaching his desk. "There are some things that I'm interested in learning that isn't covered here at Hogwarts."

"If this has anything to do with the Dark Arts I'm afraid I can't help you."

She faltered for a second, biting her lip. "It's Legilimency and Occlumency, sir. Usually we'd learn it in Durmstrang in our sixth year but obviously I'm here not there. There's only so much I can learn from reading. I wish to practice it with you."

"Why can't you learn it at home?" He asked, "I'm sure Lucius could teach you."

Her eyebrows raised in amusement, "There is a law against the practice of underage magic so it is best to learn it at school. I also don't think that my Uncle is nearly as adept as you."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," he said dismissively.

"I'm not trying to flatter you," she said assertively, "I've seen what you can do and that is my honest judgement."

"And why is it something that you are interested in learning?" Snape enquired.

"Don't you think that the Dark Lord will rise again?" She asked.

"No," he said abruptly. "The Dark Lord has been silent for years."

"I think you are wrong," she challenged, "I want to be prepared. I watched him do it to his followers and-"

"Are you his follower?" He cut her off.

"No, but-"

"Then why do you want to learn Legilimency and Occlumency?"

"Because when he comes back I have no doubt in my mind that he will want me on his side," she said calmly, "along with my mother and father and I do not want to be weak."

"Meet me on Saturday night at 6pm," he said. "I do not tolerate tardiness."

Snape refused to teach her Legilimency, the last thing he needed was a teenage girl trifling through his mind. The Occlumency lessons went rather well, no doubt a gift she inherited from her mother, though they ended rather quickly as the Potions Master accidentally called her by the surname Lestrange, instead of Malfoy. If there was any reason or time for her to enact her revenge on behalf of her family it would have been then. It was not a moment he had forgotten as for a moment he could see the darkness stirring in her soul. She became involved with students that were interested in the Dark Arts, just as he did himself whilst he was at Hogwarts. He recalled that there was an incident where Lyra almost killed a girl in her grade. She should have been expelled on the spot and every single teacher, including himself recommended that she should have but Albus saw potential where others did not. He assigned for her to work with Madam Pomfrey every single night for at least three hours to assist with the treatment of her victim and others in the hospital wing.

Maybe Professor Dumbledore would be right in this instance as he had with her punishment. Maybe this was a part of Lyra finding her identity. Snape decided it was best if he keep an eye on her and be on guard at all times. He planned what he could do to keep her occupied.

Snape arrived at classroom 3C after noting Lyra's absence at breakfast this morning. He knocked on the classroom door before allowing himself in. He was surprised at how much effort Lyra had taken to decorating the classroom. The classroom held great resemblance to a museum. The walls were lined with shelves filled with books about different dark creatures. There were glass exhibits showing off skeletons of some of these creatures along with a few live ones. He looked closely and realised it was an enchantment that gave off a 3D projection of the creature but it looked so realistic. He laughed to himself as he saw many Dark artefacts that you would be accustomed to seeing at Borgin and Burkes, no doubt she had borrowed it from her Uncle's collection, possibly without permission. As Severus looked around he noticed that Lyra was nowhere to be seen so he wandered up the stairs to the office.

He knocked on the door and again he received no reply. He entered the room and again Lyra was not there. He exhaled deeply and decided to see if she was in her quarters. He pressed an ear to her door and it sounded as if she was fighting with a boggart. He knocked on her door and called out her name. He received no reply yet again. "Lestrange, I'm coming in."

He entered the room and saw Lyra struggling in her bed. It seemed as if she was asleep, he approached her whilst calling her name, hoping that it would be enough to wake her. He drew his wand and used incarcerous to stop her from flailing, he attempted to stir her by shaking her and it seemed to work.

Lyra awoke covered in sweat and tears had wet her cheeks. She attempted to sit up and felt that she had been restrained, panic overcame her though her heart was already racing. There were hands on her shoulders and she looked up at the person who was touching her. She was surprised to see it was Professor Snape hovering over her, he waved his wand and the rope disappeared. She breathed a sigh of relief and sat up in her bed.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, sitting herself up and quickly wiping the tears from her face. "I'm fine. You should really consider taking me on a date first before tying me up."

Snape rolled his eyes as he straightened up. "How long has this been happening?"

He looked up at him as if she was a child being scolded. In this moment her usual carefree demeanour slipped. She drew her legs to her chest and rested her head between her knees, her eyes looked away. "A while now," she said.

"You'd think as a healer you'd have the wisdom to seek treatment for such an ailment," he said. "I have potions that could help you."

"Is there a cure for guilt?" she asked.

Snape sat on her bed where she had made room. "No, you just learn to live with it."

"Then I doubt your potions would help," she sighed. "I've tried a few, dreamless sleep doesn't make me feel like I've slept it just feels like I close my eyes and I'm awake, all that I've lost is time. The calming draught and draught of peace seems to ease my mind before I sleep but the dreams still come."

"I'll find you something," he said, placing a hand on her knee.

She smiled weakly and thanked him.

"I like what you've done with the classroom," he said.

She sat up straighter, crossing her legs. "Really? I hope the kids like it. It's not too scary is it?"

"The Dark Arts are something to be feared," he said.

"But there are young ones," she replied, "I don't want to terrify them on their first day. Some haven't even been exposed to our world before. You can't learn through fear."

Snape stared at her for a moment. She looked so innocent, almost child-like. He felt something tug at his heart. Was it pity he felt for her? Pity from knowing the truth of her past? She had been exposed to the Dark Arts and the works of Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters since she was a child. That's what Severus had concluded he had felt, pity.

"So, Severus," she said, "Why have you come here?"

He didn't want Lyra to know that he had come here out of concern from her missing presence from breakfast. "I was going to ask for your help with gathering some potions ingredients," he lied. "Professor Sprout has been growing some things for me and they should be ready to collect."

"Is she going to be there?" she questioned.

"I'm sure she will be," he stated.

She groaned, "Count me out."

He smiled slightly in amusement to her reaction. "So what will you be doing instead?" he asked.

"Nothing," she shrugged.

"Get dressed, we're going," he demanded.

She rolled her eyes as she got up. She shooed him out and he waited in her office while she got dressed.

Severus Snape and Lyra Lestrange made their way down to the greenhouses. Lyra attempted to make small talk during their walk about Hogwarts and its happenings but nothing had really seemed to have changed. The Potions Master seemed to be resistant to talking in that moment so Lyra abandoned the conversation and instead enjoyed the scenery on the way. When they arrived at the greenhouses they were greeted by a very bubbly Paloma Sprout.

"Lyra! Severus!" she yelled, her earmuffs tightly on her ears causing her to speak significantly loudly than necessary. "What a nice surprise!"

Lyra smiled and tapped her ear to point out the earmuffs.

"Oh! Silly me!" Paloma continued as she pulled them off. "I didn't see you this morning at breakfast."

"Slept in," Lyra shrugged.

"Can't sleep in when you have classes, dear," the Herbologist continued. "Anyway, Severus, I wasn't expecting to see you for a few days but everything should be ready for harvesting.

Lyra looked over to the Potions Master with a raised eyebrow but he maintained his plain expression as he nodded, "Thank you."

Professor Sprout seemed to want to go on and show the two plants she had been preparing over the school break for her classes this year. Lyra put on her best smile and attempted to make the conversations short whilst maintaining politeness. Professor Sprout eventually took them to where the ingredients were going and instructing them how to harvest them effectively. Severus managed to dismiss her, assuring her he knew what he was doing and with that she left, explaining that there were more plants to attend to.

"I thought she'd never leave," Lyra sighed in relief. "I wonder where Professor Dumbledore gets all of these teachers, they all won't shut up about their field."

"Some people would call that passion, Lestrange," he said.

"But you don't hear you and me raving about the Dark Arts now, do you? We'd end up in Azkaban."

"Is it something you've kept up to date on?" Severus asked, motivated to know whether she was still in touch with that side of herself.

"Nothing apart from what my Uncle tells me," she said as she carefully pulled an asphodel plant out of the ground, attempting to keep the roots intact. "Haven't touched it since I was last here, to be honest. I know it's something I need to stay away from and studying healing doesn't allow time for much other research."

He was relieved to hear that but couldn't disregard the possibility that she could still pose a danger to his colleagues or students at the school. Lyra seemed to be deeply engrossed in the removal of the asphodel so he did not attempt to resume or extend the conversation. The pair continued to work in silence until Lyra began singing to herself softly. She had a sweet voice that he heard many times during her performances in school. He didn't know how much he missed it until he had heard it again.

"You can sing louder, you know?" Severus suggested.

"I don't want to disturb you," she said, interrupting her song. She went quiet.

"You're a good singer," he admitted. "I enjoyed hearing you sing, that's why I said that. You should take up Filius' offer. It would be good for you."

She was too embarrassed to start up again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five – The Start of Term**

Saturday, September 1st had finally arrived. Most of the staff were placing the finishing touches on the grounds in preparation for the students who would be arriving that night. Others responsible for organising transport were gathering the thestrals in the forest for the older students to ride. Soon enough 7pm neared and the Great Hall began to fill with students excited to see their old friends and greet the year that was to come.

Lyra Lestrange was seated in between Professor Vector and Professor Snape on the High Table. Professor McGonagall was observed to enter the hall followed by a group of small first years. Lyra always took relief that she was sorted privately in the Headmaster's office rather than in front of everyone in the school though her sorting was quick, the hat shouted 'Slytherin' as soon as it touched the hair on her head.

After the Sorting Hat had sung its song Minerva instructed the first years and began calling out each name. She was reminded of a game she'd play with the other students who sat near her. They'd whisper their guess and the person with the most correct guesses would receive a galleon from all of the losers. As the game gained popularity Lyra and her friends got significantly richer.

Lyra began the game in her head and she managed to get the first few right. She looked to the wizard on her right and began whispering her guesses smugly.

"Belby, Marcus," McGonagall called out.

"Slytherin," he whispered in a voice loud enough that Snape could hear her.

The Sorting Hat repeated her choice with a loud voice. The Slytherins cheered.

"He's pure blood," Snape rolled his eyes.

"Bell, Katie."

"Gryffindor," she whispered again.

"Gryffindor!" the Sorting Hat yelled, a fierce applause erupting from the far left hand side of the room. From the corner of her eye she saw Professor Snape cock an eyebrow.

"Carmichael, Eddie."

"Gryffindor."

"Ravenclaw!" she frowned in response to the Sorting Hat's announcement.

"Chang, Cho."

"Ravenclaw," she said.

"You can't say Ravenclaw just cause she's a-" Snape began.

"Ravenclaw!" A playful smirk came across Lyra's face as she guessed correctly.

The game continued with Snape joining in. They both guessed all the Slytherin's correctly, it was easy enough as most of them were pure bloods or as Lyra used to describe they looked like douchebags.

"Edgecombe, Marietta."

"Ravenclaw," they whispered in unison.

The Sorting Hat agreed. The Potions Master noticed the Headmaster give them a sideways glance and he pointed it out to Lyra. She looked over and smiled at the Headmaster then turned to Snape and smiled cheekily. She felt like a schoolgirl getting caught passing notes in class. They watched the remainder of the Sorting Ceremony in silence, instead of guessing their house Lyra attempted to remember the names that matched the faces. She looked towards the far end of the hall where most of the older students were and recognised quite a few faces of students who were in younger years when she attended.

Albus Dumbledore stood up to welcome the students. "Welcome! Let's get straight to it!"

Lyra enjoyed watching the first years' eyes widen in surprise as the tables filled with food. She helped herself to some food in front of her and Professor Vector engaged Lyra with conversation about the latest discoveries in Arithmancy.

"I'm disappointed that you didn't continue the subject," Septima said. "You did so well in your OWL."

"I wanted to put my best effort into my other subjects," Lyra said with a fake smile. In all honesty she had little to no interest in Arithmancy.

"I heard you got all O's," the Arithmancer said.

Lyra nodded, "Potions, Alchemy, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology and Music."

"You could have been an auror with those grades," she replied. "I suppose Healers are important too. You could've done without Music and done Advanced Arithmancy."

Lyra gave a fake laugh and replied, "Well, I just needed something creative to maintain my sanity."

"Music is a lot of work though," Septima continued.

She looked towards Severus with wide eyes hoping he would take note and save her from the conversation but he smirked and continued talking to the teacher next to him. She found relief when Septima resumed her meal and Lyra did the same.

A few moments passed and conversation in the hall was at its height, most students had finished eating. The Headmaster stood to address everyone.

"Now that we are done with our feast I would like to give my usual start of term notices," Professor Dumbledore announced, "As most of our students should know by now, the Forest is out-of-bounds, magic is not permitted in the corridors between classes and there are a number of objects which have been banned, the list is fastened on the door of Mr Filch's office."

"I would also like to take the time to introduce our new Muggle Studies teacher who has taken over Professor Quirrell who will be away, Professor Burbage." Charity stood up and happily waved at the students. Oh god, Lyra would be next. "We also have a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lestrange." Lyra stood briefly, giving a half smile then sitting.

"Try not to seem too excited," Severus said to Lyra in a low voice. She was starting to question whether this was a good idea. She shrugged it off, most teachers only last the year anyway, then she could be off to continue her studies.

"Also, this year we have decided to host a ball to celebrate a thousand years since the founding of Hogwarts," the Headmaster continued, "It will be held on December 20th prior to the end of the school term and it is open to all students."

With that the Headmaster dismissed the students and they headed to their common rooms directed by their prefects. The teachers soon dispersed, some of them were responsible for patrolling the corridors until 10pm where Mr. Filch and Mrs Norris would take over, the rest returned to their rooms. Lyra made her way to her living quarters and began to prepare her lessons.

Monday came around a lot quicker than Lyra had hoped, though she was relieved that her first two classes were first years, Gryffindor and Slytherin followed by Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. At 9am sharp Lyra opened the door to her classroom and welcomed the first lot in. The children were so small and cute, she couldn't have imagined she had ben that little at age eleven. She smiled at them as they went past, each student finding a place for them to sit.

"Good Morning, students," Lyra said as she walked to the front of the room once the students had all settled in. "I am Professor Lestrange and I will be teaching you Defence Against the Dark Arts this year." The words felt so strange on her tongue. "The purpose of this subject is to best equip you for the world in a practical sense against things that you may encounter. I realise that all of you will come from different backgrounds so you might be wondering what you will encounter."

With a wave of her wand the blinds were drawn and another switched on the projector. "For those of you from non-wizarding backgrounds you may have grown up thinking that creatures such as werewolves," an image of a werewolf transforming played on the screen, "vampires," the image switched to a woman being bitten, "and ghosts," the projector went blank and the Bloody Baron emerged from behind it and walked down the aisle between the desks resulting in a few students jumping from their seats, "are all myths and legends but I assure you they are real."

"It is my job to equip you with the knowledge on how to best defend yourself against not only these creatures but also from witches and wizards who may want to harm you," she said. "I do not mean to scare you but it is best to be honest and I assure you, no harm will come to you as long as you are in Hogwarts and you are sensible. Defence Against the Dark Arts is a compulsory subject up until your fifth year, with good reason, so I suggest you all put the effort in."

"I'm sure you are all excited to learn how to use your wands," she continued, "So I thought I would teach you a simple spell." "Lumos" she cast, her wand emitting a bright white light from the end of it. "Handy when you find yourself in a dark cave or you have lost something under your bed, it also is effective against some spectrals and spirits who do not like light."

The class got out their wands and Lyra demonstrated the proper wand technique, encouraging students to follow her movements. Once the period was over she assigned the students to practice the spell as homework, expecting them to be able to do it by the time their next class would come around on Wednesday. Lyra found that her method was successful and repeated the same thing for the first years in next period. She was surprised that she actually found teaching enjoyable, seeing the students learn the wand-illuminating charm was extremely satisfying. They'd beckon for their attention excitedly as they succeeded in their attempt, she awarded 10 house points for the first successful charm.

Lyra had a short break to eat before she had to teach the fifth years which she was dreading but not as much as the seventh years. Both these groups of students were in their examination year which meant that she would have to cover any incompetence that the teacher prior to her had, she just hoped it wouldn't be a complete disaster.

Third period came around and she highlighted the importance of the OWLs before handing out an exam to test what they had learnt over the past few years. After they had completed it she asked the students what they had learnt with their last teacher. It all seemed to follow curriculum but she didn't manage to fit any actual theory or practical into the lesson so she had no homework to give. She spent her free period sorting through all the exams and highlighting areas she thought she would need to cover over the year. She had managed to spend the hour adjusting her lesson plans to include their gaps in knowledge and it seemed to all work.

Soon enough it was lunch, having skipped breakfast out of nervousness Lyra was keen to head to the staff room and help herself to some sandwiches. Whilst she was there she noticed Professor McGonagall and Professor Severus talking, she was worried that it was about her but they invited her over to sit with them.

"I heard your classes went well," Professor McGonagall said. "All the first years couldn't stop talking about it in my class. You've given me a real challenge."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to cause a distraction," she said.

Minerva laughed, "Not at all, I think it's a good thing." She held her shoulder and gave her a smile, "You seem to be a natural, don't stress too much." The Transfiguration Professor let go and moved off.

"How have your lessons been?" Lyra asked Severus.

"Another untalented bunch," he said. "The Weasley twins managed to blow up their cauldron. They are trouble, keep an eye out for them."

"Bill and Charlie weren't that bad," Lyra said, she knew the boys from her years in Hogwarts.

Snape shook his head, "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Severus had warmed to Lyra a lot quicker than he had expected. He originally wanted to keep close see if she would be up to anything that would put the staff or students in danger but he didn't see any evidence of this. Instead Severus felt himself forming a friendship with the witch. Seeing her in the state she was in the other morning made him feel partially responsible for taking care of her but he didn't understand why he felt obligated. He had known Lyra when she was a child during his days as a Death Eater and when she was a teenager at Hogwarts, maybe he felt like he was still her teacher. Nonetheless he had set aside some time researching potions that might be suitable for her.

Severus drew one out of his pocket that he had discovered and brewed over the weekend. He handed it to her, "This might help."

She smiled and took the bottle out of his hands. "Thank you, Professor."

"One teaspoon an hour before you go to bed," he instructed. "No more, no less. Also, you may as well call me Severus, most of the staff have invited you to call you by their first name and it would seem improper if I allowed it to continue."

"Thank you, Severus," she smiled.

The remainder of Lyra's day was uneventful. She taught the third years about boggarts and had them each face it with no problems. The fourth years were her final class for the day and they spent their time practicing counter curses. After dinner in the Great Hall Lyra was exhausted, Severus reminded her to take the potion he had given her and she did follow the instructions.

Lyra managed to fall asleep with ease that night and the next morning she woke up well-rested. She was relieved it worked, it allowed her to have time to go and have breakfast before the start of her lessons. She had hoped to run into Severus to thank him but he was nowhere to be seen. She sat with Filius and Septima, both complimenting her success on her first day.

When the daily post arrived Lyra was surprised to see that the Malfoy family owl was circling overhead and held two letters with a small package. She opened the letters, both addressed to her and read them carefully.

Lyra,

I hope your first day of teaching went well. You know if you have any problems you can come back here. I've sent you a small treat just in case they aren't feeding you right. Lucius sends his regards.

Your Aunty Cissy x

Lyra laughed to herself at the brief letter her aunt sent her. She opened the small package and saw that there were six cupcakes that Narcissa had decorated green with an animated silver snake. She placed them aside and opened the other letter that was delivered.

Hi Lyra,

I miss you. Mother said I can write to you when I want. I helped her make the cupcakes, I chose the colours. It matches the scarf you wore when you were at school.

Crabbe and Goyle came over and they lost the toy snitch Father bought me for Christmas last year. He said that he wouldn't buy me a new one.

How is Hogwarts? Is everyone nice to you? Do you have friends yet?

I hope you come to visit soon.

Love from,

Draco

She smiled fondly at the messages her family sent her. It placed her in a positive mood as she dismissed herself from breakfast and went on to face her classes for the day. She promised herself that she would write her replies when she was finished. The first few periods went by smoothly and soon enough Lyra was teaching the seventh years. It was considerably smaller than the rest of the year groups she had taught, as she only had one seventh year class whilst with the others she had two. She was familiar with a few of the students as they were in their third year whilst she was in her final year. The two who stood out were Charles Weasley and Nymphadora Tonks, her cousin.

The bubblegum haired girl approached the older Slytherin student who was standing in front of the lake. She had recognised her as Lyra Malfoy, or should she say Lestrange as the rumours had recently circulated the school. "Are you alright?" the younger of the two asked.

"I'm fine," the older girl said. "Who are you?"

"Nymphadora Tonks, most people call me Tonks," she said, "Actually I prefer it if you call me Tonks."

"Right," Lyra said dismissively.

"I actually spoke to my mum and she said you were my cousin," Tonks said.

"Most pure-bloods are related," Lyra responded.

"I'm only half," Tonks said, "My mum's your mum's sister."

"Oh, the blood traitor," she said. Tonks' hair turned red in response. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean it like that it's just the way my aunt and mother spoke about it. They never referred to her by name, just said that they had a blood traitor sister that tainted the Black family tree. I honestly couldn't care less about the whole blood purity thing."

Tonks' hair returned to the bubblegum pink it was before.

"You're a metamorphmagus," Lyra pointed out.

Her hair turned a lighter shade of pink, "Yeah."

"That's pretty cool," Lyra said. "Would be a useful skill for an Auror."

She wondered if that was why her cousin was in her classroom, it was an essential subject to become an auror. She shrugged off the thought and stepped forward to address the class.

"You've probably heard the speech a million times by now," Lyra began. "This is your final year of Hogwarts and you will be tested at the end of the year. The results of your NEWTs will play a huge determining factor in the career you wish to choose. I also have no doubt that the teaching of this subject has been rather inconsistent so I'd like for you all to partake in a quick test to see where your learning is at."

It took about 15 minutes and Lyra quickly flicked through the papers. She was shocked at the amount of information missing from their learning. "Seems like you're all quite behind in the subject," Lyra said. "No matter, I will get you up to date. First and most important question is have you observed the use of the unforgivable curses?" The students shook their heads. Lyra sighed, she didn't want to have to do this but she knew it was necessary. "You'd usually learn and see the spells in your sixth year, can anyone name them?"

"The Imperius Curse," an unfamiliar student called out.

"5 points to Ravenclaw," she said. She summoned a rat that was in her office. She pointed her wand at it, non-verbally casting the spell. She didn't want the students to know of the incantations. She made the rat run in circles jumping every so often.

"Under the effects of this curse you are subject to the caster's bidding," Lyra explained, continuing to control the mouse making it attempt to do star jumps on its hind legs, "This curse may be used in your NEWT exam though it is more likely to be tested on if you would like to become an auror. It takes great self-control to resist the Imperius curse and even great wizards who are trained to resist it can still be affected if caught off-guard. The next one?"

"The Cruciatus Curse," Tonks said.

"5 points to Hufflepuff," Lyra said. She cast it on the rat it starting squeaking noisily. She did not enjoy doing this to an innocent mouse and as a result the spell's effectiveness waned. "This was my mother's choice of weapon, in fact, she taught me how to use it. It is why she's in Azkaban right now. The use of it on another human being results in a lifelong sentence in Azkaban. It causes immense pain to the victim as you just saw. Finally?"

"The Killing Curse," Charlie said, "Please don't kill it."

A flash of green light and the rat was dead. "5 points to Gryffindor," she said. "Don't stress too much Charlie, it was an old rat, he lived a good life but yes the killing curse. An instantaneous and painless death to the victim, it is unblockable and uncounterable."

"But that Harry Potter child survived," a student piped up.

"Yes," Lyra said. She knew of the downfall of the Dark Lord all too well. "We don't know why or how though so I wouldn't take any chances against it. When was it legal to use these curses?"

"Aurors were allowed to against You-Know-Who and his followers," Tonks said.

"Correct, 5 points to Hufflepuff," Lyra said.

Lyra continued her lecture on the Unforgiveable Curses and soon enough the class had come to its end. She assigned them homework to prepare for the next lesson and they all trailed out except for her pink-haired cousin.

"Tonks," Lyra said, "What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm planning on becoming an auror," Tonks replied.

A happy smile grew across Lyra's face, "Really? That's great, I'll be sure to teach you as much as I can."

"Thanks," her cousin said with an equally big smile.

"If you need anything don't hesitate to let me know," Lyra said, "I know we're not close but you're still my cousin and I'm here for you."

Tonks' smile began to fade, her hair turning into a bluer hue. Lyra looked questionably at her as Tonks gathered the nerve to tell her what she had really wanting to tell her. "Before we started, a lot of students in my year were questioning whether it was ok for you to be teaching because of what happened when you were here."

Lyra sighed, "I assure you Tonks that I'm not like that anymore. You should tell them to trust Professor Dumbledore's decision."

"You're right," Tonks said as she turned to leave.

"Tonks," she called out after her, "I haven't used the Dark Arts since I left, even using those curses was difficult for me. Trust me, I do regret what happened, that's why I became a healer."

Tonks nodded before dismissing herself. Lyra was unconvinced that she had managed to sway Tonks' opinion on what occurred during her schooling years but did not allow herself to dwell on it for too long. Instead she found herself going through the exams she had set for the fifth and seventh years that they had completed in class and began to assess what needed to be covered in order to make sure her students would be prepared. She worked all through her lunch break she snacked upon the cupcakes that her Aunt sent her rather than grabbing something from the staff room. From the taste along Lyra could tell that her Aunt Narcissa had actually made it herself instead of telling the house elves to do it. She set aside some time prior to her class resuming to write a letter of thanks to her family.

Aunty,

Thank you for the cupcakes, they tasted delicious. Everything is going well so far. I'll keep in touch.

Lyra x

Dearest Draco,

Thank you for the cupcakes and letter, it brightened my day. I hope you continue to write to me as I also miss you, Draco.

I'm sorry to hear about your toy. If your dad doesn't buy you one then let me know and I'll get you something special for Christmas.

I am enjoying my time at Hogwarts and I have befriended most of the teachers.

If all goes according to plan I will be home for Christmas.

I love you. Be good to your parents.

Hugs and kisses from your cousin Lyra x

She sat the messages aside, intending to send them prior to dinner which arrived much sooner than she expected. Lyra felt as though the day progressed significantly faster than her days at St. Mungo's, possibly because she would usually get stuck doing paperwork but this teaching position allowed a lot of time for interaction with other people which she preferred. Lyra walked to the Owlery and found her Snowy Owl, Silver waiting for her.

"Back to the Manor," she said as she attached the letters to Silver's leg and fluffed it's feathers before it took its flight.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six – Halloween Treat**

The weekend rolled around quicker than Lyra had expected. With it came the relief that she had completed her first week of teaching rather uneventfully and with the aid of the potion Professor Snape had brewed she had actually managed to sleep with no problems for the first time in years. She had hoped to run into Severus all week but she seemed to miss him every time. Her opportunity to thank him finally arose at lunch on Saturday.

"Professor Lestrange," Professor Snape addressed Lyra as he took his place in the seat next to her in the Great Hall. She wasn't used to such formalities, most of the other teachers still addressed her by her first name as most staff addressed each other except for when in front of students.

"Ah, Severus," she said, "I haven't seen you all week."

"I've been busy," he said, "I suspect the potion been working well."

"Yes, it has," she replied, "I haven't slept this well for a while. Thanks so much."

"I'll have another ready for you soon, that bottle should last you the month."

The conversation dropped off as they both began to eat their lunch. Instead of talking they merely just watched the students dine in the hall and wandered off to do their own thing. Lyra had committed herself to marking the homework she had assigned over the past week which she expected to take all week.

The following weeks at Hogwarts seemed to follow a similar pattern to her first. She would spend the week teaching, socialising with her colleagues at meals and finish up the weekend with marking assignments. Occasionally she would receive a letter from Draco who would tell her details of his mundane life as he attended a primary school and things that his parents were teaching him. She passed on her knowledge about counter curses, werewolves and doxies to her classes and everyone who attended seemed to enjoy her lesson plans. She hadn't even needed to give anyone detention yet.

The days and weeks rolled on and soon enough it was October. Lyra finally had a weekend free from the obligation of marking homework but she had been assigned to supervise the third year students for their first trip to Hogsmeade. She was accompanied by Professor Snape and after checking everyone's permission slips they lead the children on their way.

"So, how about that drink you owe me?" Lyra teased as they arrived at Hogsmeade. The third years began running off in different directions.

"I owe you?" Severus questioned, "Surely you owe me?"

She raised her eyebrows before agreeing and they headed to the Three Broomsticks together.

"We shouldn't dwell together too long," Severus suggested as he took a sip of his mulled wine, "The students might start rumours."

"Rumours about what?" Lyra questioned. Snape raised an eyebrow in response and with that she understood what he meant. "We're merely colleagues, Professor. Since when did you care about what others think?"

"I don't," he responded.

"Then there's no reason to fret," she said. "How have your classes been going?"

"Fine, and yourself?"

"Good," she said. "I thought it would be a challenge but it seems to be going quite well."

Lyra continued the conversation by asking for suggestions about the contents of her subject but Severus seemed to agree with most of her ideas. She had grown fond of spending time with him and found that it had become easier to talk to him about things, the two could carry a conversation much easily now, speaking as if they were old friends. She found it much easier to get along with Professor Snape than the other teachers, possibly due to their shared past or because he was closest in age despite him being 10 years her senior.

Their conversation went on as they finished their drinks and moved off to the main street of Hogsmeade so they would be easily accessed if the students needed them. They walked down High Street, observing the students amusement in Honeydukes and Zonko's as they passed. Severus noticed that his companion's face lit up as they approached the Music Shop. Lyra waved at the man who was standing near the shop window and he waved back.

"Do you mind if we go in?" she asked.

"Not at all," he replied.

"Dominic!" Lyra shouted as she entered, bring the man into a warm embrace.

"Lyra!" he shouted merrily in return, "How have you been?"

"Good," she beamed as they parted their hug, "This is my colleague Severus, he's the Potions Master at Hogwarts."

"Pleasure to meet you," Dominic said, extending a hand.

"Pleasure," said Severus plainly as he accepted the handshake.

"Are you working at Hogwarts?" Dominic asked, "As the music teacher?"

"Oh, no," she saids shaking her head, "Defence Against the Dark Arts but Filius has been trying to get me back into music."

"Well, you were always very gifted," he said, "You should play a bit for old times sake. I'll jump on the piano and you can sing along."

Lyra laughed, she seemed hesitant but soon enough, the two were performing a mellowed version of Celestina Warbeck's You Stole My Cauldron But You Can't Have My Heart. ( /GLl4gYiTZy8) She had a smile plastered on her face the entire time as the shop began to fill with students off the street. Lyra danced with a few of them as she sung, she tried to drag Severus in at one point but he stayed rooted to the spot.

"Oh, you are just as talented as I remember!" Dominic said with a smile, "Do drop by if you have the chance."

"Wow, Professor," a student said, "You are amazing."

Lyra laughed and thanked them. They exchanged goodbyes and Lyra was so giddy with excitement she collided into Severus' arm as they exited the shop. She quickly readjusted herself and they continued their journey down High Street.

"I forgot how wonderful performing was," she said, still smiling from the interaction.

"You are extremely talented, Lyra," he said, "I've said it before, you should take up Flitwick's offer."

"Maybe," she hummed.

"You should sing at the Founding Ball," he said, "If you don't talk to Filius yourself I'll have to volunteer you."

With a smile and a laugh she let the conversation die. Soon enough night had fallen and they rounded up the rest of the stragglers to escort them back to the castle. News of her performance spread quickly through the school and soon enough Filius was nagging her at dinner.

"A few students told me you were showing off at Maestro's," the Charms Professor said.

"Oh, really?" Lyra asked.

"You can't say you're out of practice," Filius said, "You must perform at the Halloween Feast or even the ball."

"Halloween is pretty soon," she said.

"Don't worry," Severus said, "You'll have plenty of practice between now and the Founding Ball."

Lyra shot him a death glare whilst he simply smirked in return.

"That sounds wonderful, Lyra!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed, "I will lock you in as the first act and you can start practicing, it's only a short set, about 30-60 minutes, as long as you want."

Filius rambled about the event, telling her about the other performers, the Weird Sisters included. He also invited her to practice in the music rehearsal rooms whenever she had free time and even suggested songs. Filius was so engrossed in the conversation that the Great Hall was almost empty by time they finished their conversation.

Lyra's lessons continued to progress with ease and Lyra took Filius up on his offer, spending her free time putting together a set for the ball. It seemed as though this year at Hogwarts would be rather normal but excitement filled the hallways as it drew closer to the Halloween Feast. It was a Wednesday and her classes seemed more distracted than ever, particularly the first years who had been hyped up by older students.

"Professor," a muggle-born student called out, "Is it true that there'll be ghosts performing at the feast tonight."

"Yes," she said tiredly, "I believe there's a famous singing ghost who'll be our entertainment for tonight."

"Wow," the student said.

More questions about the feast popped up.

"How about we leave it as a surprise?" she said, "If you feel the urge to lose 20 house points you can continue to ask questions about the feast."

She received no more questions. Lyra had run out of the potion and didn't want to bother Severus for more. As a result she had a significant lack of sleep over the past few days resulting in the reduction of her patience and overall mood as of late. She wasn't even looking forward to the feast this evening despite it being her favourite event whilst she was in Hogwarts. Lyra had even prepared a festive dress but she couldn't even bring herself to put it on prior to her classes, instead she had stuck to her usual plain black dress with a purple robe.

Her final class had ended and she returned to her quarters. After a quick shower Lyra decided to garner her holiday attire, she replaced her purple robe with a midnight blue one with an enchanted pattern that had bats fly up its length. She undid her hair that she usually kept up out of her face and put on some light make-up. It made her feel better put together and managed to cover up any evidence of her tiredness. Whilst still in the mirror she forced herself to wear a smile then headed off to the feast.

"You look awfully tired," Severus pointed out as she took a seat. It frazzled her; she had put so much effort into looking somewhat presentable yet somehow he still noticed. "Have you run out of potion?"

She merely raised her eyebrows as a response. "I didn't expect you to run out so quickly, my apologies," the Potions Master explained, "I'll brew you one after this."

She nodded weakly in response and attempted to enjoy her time at the feast but she was much too tired. Towards the end of the feast during the musical performance Lyra struggled to keep herself awake. Severus noticed her slipping in and out of sleep, her head started to relax and she would jolt awake whenever she'd relax too much. Eventually Lyra fell asleep and Severus let her until he noticed her hand twitching, he had a bad feeling that she was going to start screaming at any moment. He nudged her awake and she woke with a startle.

"Come," he said. "We should go now."

Lyra scoped the room and everyone seemed absorbed in the performance so she followed him to his office.

"Why didn't you tell me you ran out earlier?" he asked.

Lyra shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "I just didn't want to bother you."

"It's more of a bother to have you having nightmares in the middle of a feast," he said.

Lyra felt ashamed and couldn't continue the conversation. The feeling stemmed from the embarrassment of having nightmares and also the need to rely on someone for help. All her life Lyra felt as if she was the only one she could depend on and needed, it was evident in her lack of long term friends. She had her Aunt and Uncle of course but she never wanted to put them out any more than they had already been.

The teachers made their way to the dungeons and the Potions Master quickly started working on the potion. She watched him work away and observed the ingredients.

"Is that a combination of the Draught of Peace and Sleep?" Lyra enquired.

"A sort of synthesis between the two," he replied, "I like to call it the Draught of Peaceful Rest."

She was impressed. She watched him closely, enchanted by the way he moved and controlled everything with complete ease. She should have been taking note of what he was doing but she was just filled with admiration. Severus too absorbed in concentration to notice her attention, instead he worked in silence. A couple of hours passed, time she didn't even notice slip away, and it was finally complete.

"Here," he said passing her the bottle. "I've made excess which I'll keep here so if you need any do not hesitate to ask."

She took the bottle and nodded.

"I suggest you take some now so you'll be ready for bed once you get back to your quarters," he said. She took a sip. He rolled his eyes at her. "You really should measure it, no wonder you ran out so quickly."

"I don't want to go to bed yet," she said.

"Well seeing as we missed out on the celebrations perhaps you would like to have a drink with me?" he asked. "Although, you'll probably want to fall asleep soon."

"A drink sounds nice," she perked up, "I won't stay for long."

He nodded and walked towards the door opposite to the one they entered through. "I always wondered what was there," she said as she followed behind him.

"Being Head of a House lends itself certain privileges," he explained as she looked in awe around his room. There was several large glass windows similar to the one in the Slytherin Common Room which looked into the Black Lake. His living quarters was at least double the size of hers, she only had a single bed. Severus had a large four-poster king bed with velvet green drapings decorating the sides. He also had a small fireplace with two plush armchairs facing it, a small table sat between them. With a point of his wand he ignited the fire, immediately warming the room. Lyra took a seat, allowing herself to warm up.

"It's no Malfoy Manor," he continued, "Though, my family home couldn't compare to this suite."

"Still, it's impressive," she said, "No wonder I rarely see you out of here."

He smiled then two glasses and a bottle of nettle, pouring them a drink each.

"I'm sorry I dragged you away from the celebrations," she said.

"No matter," Severus said, "Minerva is always more than willing to help when I need it."

"She's quite lovely as a person," Lyra said as she took a deep sip from her glass. "It's quite peculiar when you're not a student."

Severus smiled in amusement and they continued aimlessly speak for a while. They made their way quickly through the bottle and their conversation went deeper as their tongues loosened from the wine almost as if it had been spiked with Veritaserum. Their honest thoughts and feelings seemed to come spilling out.

"Do you hate me?" Severus asked. It was a question that had been on his mind since they had met at Malfoy Manor though it had plagued him for years prior to that moment.

"What gave you that impression?" Lyra asked confused. She thought that the past few months would've been a reflection of how she truly felt about him. She admired him and respected him as a talented wizard, colleague and now a friend. Though, as she spent more time with him he could feel the potential for more.

"I'm a traitor," he said, "I left the service of the Dark Lord and came here, you pointed that out when you first arrived."

Lyra shook her head, "I only said that to get under your skin, I know you only did what was necessary to survive, my uncle did the same. My mother would rather rot in Azkaban than reject her loyalty to the Dark Lord, that's why I didn't have parents."

"I doubt it would've done you much good," Severus responded.

"That's what I think too," she agreed, "I was better off with my Aunt and Uncle. They showed me love that I don't think my mother or father would have been capable of showing."

He nodded in agreement but he was still stewing in his thoughts, a few moments of silence passed before Severus broke it, "I'm the reason everyone knew your real name."

She took a deep sigh and frowned at him before shaking her head, "They would have found out eventually."

"I don't think they would have," he said. "It felt so awful when I said it, it was an honest mistake and I felt like I couldn't apologise to you. You were my favourite student and you wouldn't even speak to me, you couldn't even look at me then I saw you turn to the Dark Arts and I was so afraid of what you would do."

"It was lucky Dumbledore stopped me," she said, "I don't think I would've been able to come back from it on my own."

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I'm sorry as well," she said, "I did hate you and I think it was justified but I don't hold it against you. You were my favourite teacher as well, Sev." With that she touched his arm affectionately and stared at his face. He looked as if he had slipped into his memories, despite his usual expressionless face Lyra deduced that whatever he was thinking about made him feel sad.

"Lily used to call me that," he said once he finally came out of it. He recalled that she died 9 years ago to the day. He looked over to Lyra who was around the same age that Lily would've been and it pained him.

Lyra withdrew her hand, concerned that maybe she had said the wrong thing so she asked, "Would you prefer me not to?"

"No," he said. It felt safe for her to say it, almost as if it belonged to her. "It's ok."

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," he said. "You probably should be going to bed."

As soon as he said that she realised how heavy her eyes were and she fought to keep them open. "Just stay here for the night," he invited.

"Ok," she whispered as she slowly surrendered to sleep. "Thanks, Sev."

When Lyra spoke that nickname again it brought up so many feelings, it felt as if they were bubbling in his chest fighting against his control to burst out. He felt sad as memories of Lily Evans played through his head, he loved her and his heart belonged to her, though the moment Lyra had said his name it felt as if she was tugging it away, away from his memories of Lily and into her hands. He felt scared, he was growing fond of Lyra and enjoyed having someone in his life that knew of his true past but didn't hold it against him. He felt as though he was beginning to trust her and that was terrifying, he knew how easily someone could twist a relationship and he didn't want that vulnerability. The thought of losing her crossed his mind and that's when he knew his feelings were all too real.

He decided in that moment that he needed to put a stop to this quickly. The two needed to maintain a strictly professional relationship; he couldn't let it develop any further. He looked over to her, watching her sleep peacefully and he felt that tug again. He pulled out his wand and cast a spell to levitate her onto his bed. He tucked her in, moving away a stray piece of hair and tucking it behind her ear. He dwelled for a moment longer, admiring her beauty whilst he could. She looked a lot like her mother; Lyra had the same thick dark hair as her and similar facial features though they were a lot softer.

Severus got up and transfigured the armchairs to become a single bed, thinking it would be too strange to sleep in the same bed with all those feelings bouncing around.

Morning came and Severus awoke first. Classes were due to start in about an hour. He got up, transfigured his chairs back and moved to wake Lyra. He gently roused her from her sleep by shaking her arm.

"Mmm," she hummed and she drifted back to reality.

"Lyra, classes start in an hour," he said.

"Oh shit," she yawned, sitting up in the bed. "Do you mind if I use your bathroom?"

"As long as you're quick, Lestange," he said, "I would like to shower as well."

"Could always join me," she teased as she sauntered towards the bathroom door. Inside was a large spa style bathtub with enough room to fit two people and a separate shower. The whole room looked significantly nicer than her own, it was comparable to the prefects bathroom.

She quickly showered, allowing Severus enough time to prepare himself. She quickly transfigured her cloak so it was a different colour before leaving, shouting her goodbyes as she went. She left the room quickly so she would make it in time but knew that a few Slytherin students had spotted her leaving the Potion Master's office. She made it to her class in time with a few odd looks from her students.

Severus however was mulling things over in the shower. 'Could always join me' Lyra's voice echoed in his head. The offer was tempting, how long had it been since he had felt the intimacy and comfort of a witch? Of course he had wanted to take it up but he couldn't let that happen. 'Had she always been such a tease?' he asked himself. Yes, she had, he knew this. He could tell by the comments she make in passing, You should really consider taking me on a date first before tying me up. Had she done that before? He tried to dismiss the thought but it was difficult not to imagine her tied up in his bed. He tried to think back as to how she was in class and whether she had seemed so daring back then. He knew that she had quite a few friends, though none of them seemed particularly close. Though his memories drifted back to how her male classmates seemed to treat her, whenever a boy had her attention on her she would have him wrapped around her finger. He wanted her wrapped around her finger in the shower with him. He tried to shake the thoughts out, switching the water temperature to cold. 'What are you thinking?' he asked himself, 'One night of drinking with a woman and you're having these thoughts. She was only joking.'

Or was she?


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven – The Founding Ball**

The spirits of the students at Hogwarts continued their high after the Halloween Feast as the first Quidditch match of the season approached. It was a match up that brought out a lot of spirit, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Lyra had donned her old Slytherin scarf to show support for her house and there was a mixed reaction from students as she walked through the corridors to the staff room. A few students gave her a high five whilst others stared her down. The appearance of green silver gave Lyra a look of disappointment from the Gryffindor head of house as she took a seat at the staff table.

"Supporting your old house I see," McGonagall pointed out.

"Of course," Lyra said with a teasing smile as she took her place at the staff table, "Slytherin through and through."

"Well, I am pretty confident in our team," Minerva said, "We will win the Quidditch and House Cup this year."

"I am doubtful about that," Severus said, closing the book his nose was in. "Slytherin have had it for the past five years running and I don't think we'll be giving it up so easily. I've been enjoying it's display in my office."

"We'll see about that," Minerva said as she walked away with a coffee in hand.

"I think you got under her skin," Lyra said with a laugh, helping herself to some cereal.

Severus did not attempt to continue the conversation with Lyra though she didn't realise it was on purpose until they sat next to one another in the teachers' stand. She had attempted to engage him in conversation though he wasn't responding. She could feel the tension between them and simply just engaged with Filius who had taken the seat next to her.

"How's your set progressing?" he asked.

"Good, good," she replied, "I've got all my songs together, I think I'll only take about 40 minutes."

"And you're just performing by yourself?"

"Yeah, I've enchanted all the necessary instruments."

"That's amazing."

Their conversation was cut short as the commentator began and the balls were released. She enjoyed the atmosphere as students cheered and booed whilst red and green zoomed around the field. Slytherin quickly gained the lead and after about an hour and a half they finished with the snitch, winning by a landslide. Severus didn't even celebrate when the game ended and Lyra gave him a congratulatory slap on the back. She tried to shrug it off but it started to bother her.

As the weeks progressed Lyra noticed that Severus had begun to purposefully avoid her. Whenever she arrived at breakfast he would seem to just be leaving and he didn't dare approach if she was already there. Severus had put his thoughts into action, choosing to distance himself from the Lestrange girl, maybe a bit too extremely. She did try to confront him one night as her potion had finished. Lyra approached the Potion's classroom with a brave face.

"Severus," she called out.

Severus was in the room, hesitant to answer but he recalled that he had invited her to come around if she needed help. He braced himself for the possible onslaught.

"Yes, Lestrange?" he answered coldly as he opened the door.

"I've run out," she said.

With a curt nod he went and fetched the potion. It didn't take him long, he handed it over to her and attempted to shut the door but it was held open by her forearm.

"Did I do something, Severus?" she asked.

"No," he said, "I have things to tend to, Lestrange. I'm a Potions Master; I have orders to fill as well as managing an entire house full of trouble-makers, my apologies that I can't be at your beck and call."

"That's not what I want, Sev," she said.

Internally he winced at the name she gave him as it brought up the feelings he was trying to keep at bay. Severus was a master of composure and did not let his feelings reflect on his face. "Well, what do you want?"

"You've been a dick," she said plainly, "You've been ignoring me since Halloween."

"As I said," Severus said with a bored expression, "I'm a busy man. I have things I need to tend to. Goodbye."

Lyra surrendered, deciding that there was no point in fighting for his attention. She busied herself with her classes and her students' needs. The one positive thing that came out of it was that she was forming a proper relationship with her cousin.

"Professor," Tonks addressed Lyra as she approached her desk after class one day.

"Yes?"

"Are you going home for Christmas?"

"Not sure," Lyra said, her eyes narrowed as she thought of her plans, "Depends whether or not they need me here or not, why's that?"

"My mum's asked to invite you over for Christmas lunch."

"I'll try to make it," Lyra replied with a smile, "It'd be nice to meet your parents."

"I'll let her know," Tonks grinned as she left.

The end of term was quickly approaching and as the days ticked by to the Founding ball Lyra found herself becoming more tense. At least she was still getting sleep thanks to Severus' potion but he was still cold towards her. The other teachers were excited as they prepared decorations for the ball and were keen to see their old students perform. They all gave her words of encouragement which just really made her more apprehensive about the performance as she felt there was a greater pressure to do well. Her Aunt had written her words of encouragement, knowing that her niece was a talented singer and witch, that Lyra tried to focus on.

December 20th arrived despite Lyra's protests and dread of the day approaching. She resented Severus for volunteering her talents and now he wasn't even speaking to her. She attempted to channel her frustration at the situation into determination to perform well.

Lyra's classes for the semester had finally finished and she spent the next hour preparing herself for her set. She did vocal warm ups as she styled her hair from its usual unkempt thickness to sleek loose curls that framed and softened her face. To add to the frame Lyra drew on her makeup, highlighting her features that would otherwise be blurred out by the intensity of the stage lights. Finally she pulled on a patterned silvery-white velvet dress which clung to her curves and dropped to the floor. Her waist was accentuated by a wrap belt of the same material and her sleeves were loose, reaching just below her elbows. Lyra admired herself in the mirror for a few moments and her confidence built. She didn't look as amazing as when her Aunt did it all but she still felt good and if she could sound as good as she looked and felt then she would have no problems. With that, she made her way down to the Great Hall, ready for her performance.

There were already students lining up, dressed in their dress robes, excited for what was to come. Lyra felt her nerves prick up but she pushed them aside. She had performed in front of Hogwarts before, maybe not solo but she knew she could do it. Lyra found her way into the Great Hall through the teachers' entrance to the High Table as she didn't want to draw attention to herself.

"Lyra!" Filius greeted, "You look stunning, are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," she laughed.

The Hall was set up ready for a ball, the house tables had disappeared and instead were replaced by smaller round tables that were towards the back of the hall whereas the rest of the area near the High Table was left open for students to dance. The High Table itself was also removed and instead acted as a stage. Lyra observed her instruments sitting there ready for her performance alongside some wizard rock instruments which she assumed belonged to the other alumni students performing, The Weird Sisters.

Lyra pulled out her pine wand and with a wave the string and brass instruments levitated into the air and seemingly tuned themselves to the piano. She started up an instrumental to play as students began to quickly fill the hall. It was as if as each person entered Lyra found herself getting more and more nauseous. Each student looked in wonder as the decorations in the hall were more festive with ice sculptures and silver walls covered in garlands and Christmas wreaths. Albus walked in, followed by the majority of the staffing team and he approached the front of the hall.

"Welcome, welcome," Albus said with his wand pointing at his throat, amplifying each word he said over the noise of the crowd. "Welcome to Hogwarts' Founding Ball. As I know you are all keen to get dancing I'll allow Hogwarts' own Lyra Lestrange to take it away."

She directed the instruments to become jazzier although she felt as if her heart was in her stomach and she was about to throw it up, she began to sing along to the song and after a few moments her nerves were gone. Her voice enhanced the atmosphere, her warm and sweet tones contrasted vastly from the cold winter vibe of the Great Hall. Lyra began to lose herself in the music and was no longer being eaten away by the nerves that she had felt leading up to this event. She smiled as she watched as students dragged one another to the dance floor and began to dance.

Each song ran seamlessly into the other and her performance was well received by her audience. Severus watched on, pretending he was overlooking the students as Minerva danced gleefully with Albus, his eyes were glued to the witch who he had chosen to become so distant from. In all honesty, she looked stunning and he was mesmerised by her voice and the way she moved her wand to direct the instruments which supported her melody. Lyra had a natural talent and on stage she seemed so charismatic, she could enchant every witch and wizard in the room to fall in love with her by the tone of her voice and Severus was beginning to feel that tug again.

Severus pushed those feelings aside and instead his self-loathing came out. He told himself that Lyra Lestrange would never want him and that he should save himself the embarrassment of rejection. He got annoyed as he thought of Septime Vector who insisted that he supervise the students inside the ball whilst she patrol the corridors when he truly wanted to avoid Lyra and participating in the ball. Severus felt his arm being dragged as he was absorbed by his thoughts by Minerva who encouraged him to dance to Lyra's music.

"Not enjoying yourself, Severus?" she asked as she attempted to make him move to the rhythm.

"Not particularly," he replied with an annoyed expression.

"Usually you're a wonderful dancer," Minerva said with a sly wink.

"That's usually after I've downed a few bottles and you and Albus drag me to the dance floor," he said.

"Well, here we are," she smirked. "Try to enjoy it for a bit Severus, isn't Lyra talented?"

Lyra found that time seemed to slip through her fingers so quickly as she was enjoying her performance. Soon enough, her set was finished and her audience applauded and cheered as she bowed at the end. The next performer took their spot, starting off with a more classical and mellow sound. Lyra helped herself to a few canapés and found a few of her colleagues standing grouped together in one corner of the room. They all complimented her of course and Lyra sheepishly accepted their words as she stuffed food down her throat to excuse herself from talking. As she was engaged in conversation with Professor Burbage the Headmaster interrupted the conversation, offering Lyra a dance. She accepted with a smile and a nod, taking his hand they moved towards the dance floor. They began to dance to the slow tune and held a conversation during their movements.

"I suspect everyone has said so already but your performance was lovely, Lyra," Albus remarked.

"Thank you," she replied happily.

"I haven't spoken to you much this term," he said, "But how are you finding things?"

"Good," she said, "I've been enjoying it. It's a lot better than St. Mungo's, I'm hoping that I can stay."

"But alas, the curse," Albus said with a frown. Lyra exhaled a small laugh in response and it turned Albus' mood around. "How's everyone been treating you?"

"Well."

"And Severus?"

She sucked in her bottom lip, attempting to not let the frustration that had grown over the past few months to spill out. "He was good, initially. A bit hostile at times but he warmed, though I'm afraid he has been rather distant lately."

Albus nodded and waved Severus over, "Do you mind taking over for a bit? I have some business to attend to."

The three of them knew that Severus was not able to refuse the request so with a nod his hands replaced the Headmaster's. The two of them didn't know what to say, both attempted to not look one another in the eye. The awkward tension between the pair made them feel uneasy and one of them mistimed a step resulting in Lyra being trodden on.

"Ouch!"

"Learn to keep in time," he said.

"You stepped on me," she rebutted.

"Your foot wasn't supposed to be there."

She glared at him, thinking it was his fault but decided not to start an argument, at least not about that. "Why have you been such an asshole lately?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been avoiding me," she said, "Ever since Halloween. Is it because I asked you to join me in the shower? I was only joking."

"I believe that our interaction that night was inappropriate," he said plainly.

"What wasn't appropriate, Severus?"

"The drinking, you sleeping in my bed," he muttered in a voice so only the two of them could hear.

"And you couldn't have discussed your issues with me?" She asked, "Instead you acted like a child and ignored me."

Severus remained silent at her statement. He knew that she was right but he wasn't about to acknowledge that. "You did the exact thing to me when you were in my class."

"That was warranted," she said, "You were the reason everyone knew my real name and I hated you for that. I was 15, for fuck's sake. We've been over this."

Severus gritted his teeth as he tried to look expressionless as he danced with the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. Too his luck the song had ended and he excused himself politely as possible. Lyra found herself at the bar and began drinking to unwind. A few students from her classes approached her, asking her for a dance and she happily agreed. The slow dancing stopped as the Weird Sisters stepped out onto the stage and the students started a mosh pit. Lyra merely supervised with a wine glass in hand, chatting to Minerva in the corner. The hours ticked by and the crowd was thinning out, Minerva had taken to watching the students as they returned to their dormitories, ensuring that they didn't get up to trouble elsewhere.

Severus and Lyra found themselves to be the final teachers remaining in the Great Hall and found themselves to be a bit disgruntled by the fact. It was nearing midnight and the Weird Sisters finished their set and the pair of teachers began shooing out the remainder of the students. As the musicians were packing their things and the two professors found mutual ground over a bottle of wine.

"That was fun," Lyra beamed still energetic.

"That's because you're young," Severus said, throwing the wine in his glass back. "I thought it was awful. Your performance was wonderful though."

A small smile darted across her lips as she accepted his compliment. The pair continued to drink, quickly falling into the same scenario as they did the night of Halloween. The wine loosened their tongues and they began to talk.

"How've your classes been?" Lyra asked.

"As dull and uninspiring as ever," Severus said, "I suspect that most of the fifth years won't be taking it on next year."

"Do you enjoy potion making?" she asked.

"You know what I would've preferred." He paused for a moment, taking a deep sip of the wine in his hand, "Merlin's beard, how have you been drinking this? It's awful."

Lyra giggled before touching his thigh in a more than affectionate way, "Well, I do have a better bottle in my room."

"Oh really?" Severus asked as he swirled the remainder of his drink in hand.

She hummed in amusement before retracting her hand and using it to prop up her face against her crossed legs, "But I'm afraid that two teachers drinking together when they're not on duty in the privacy of their own quarters is inappropriate."

Lyra watched him as he pursued his lips, knowing that she had gotten under his skin. Severus wasn't about to admit defeat and apologise for his behaviour. He merely continued to drink the rubbish wine that was supplied and ignored his female companion. He noticed that they were officially the only two left in the Great Hall, the house-elves wouldn't come out to pack until they had cleared out.

"Let's go," Severus said as he stood.

Lyra downed the rest of the bottle and took his arm, "Where are we going?"

"Back to our rooms," he said, "You're much too drunk to find your own way."

"I can handle my liquor," she said defiantly, letting go of his arm and walking to the door. In her head she was walking a lot more elegantly but Severus could see her stumbling every few steps.

He rushed to her side and took her arm, "Come on, I'll escort you to your room."

Lyra didn't protest, enjoying the company Severus gave her. She was heavy on her feet, swaying slightly as they made their way up to the Serpentine Corridor. Severus was relieved that all the students were probably in bed by now and hopefully most of the teachers. That relief was short lived as they turned a corner and ran into Professor McGonagall.

"Ah, Severus, Lyra," she said, "Everyone is in bed, except you two of course. Everything alright?"

"She's had a bit too much to drink," Severus explained.

"Severus here is being a gentleman for once in his life," Lyra said, slurring slightly. "He said he'd escort me to my room, even though I am perfectly fine."

"Nice to see you getting along again," Professor McGonagall said, "I can take her from here."

"It's ok," Severus said, "I can handle her. I know you have things to attend to."

Minerva was hesitant, unsure of what may happen but she trusted Severus so with that she said, "Very well," and made her way to the Headmaster's office.

When Severus and Lyra finally arrived at her classroom he knew better than to let her climb the stairs up to her office without assistance. He finally let go of the young witch and she began to go through her drawers.

"What on earth are you doing?" Severus asked.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, triumphantly brandishing a bottle of wine, "Let's drink."

"I think you've had too much already," Severus said as he pried the bottle out of her hands.

"I feel much too sober now for that statement to be true," she said.

"It's time for bed," Severus said as he guided her into her room with his hand at the small of her back.

She frowned initially but then a more mischievous look flickered across her face. "Will you join me?"

He looked strangely at her as though she had come from another planet, "What?"

The liquid confidence took hold and she stood closely to the wizard, "Well, I can think of a lot more inappropriate things that we could do other than drinking."

"Lyra," he said, pushing her away, "You're much too drunk."

Lyra reached around to the back of her dress, unzipping the back and allowing her dress to fall to the floor. "Am I?"

Severus took a big breath in as he drank in her presence. The velvet slipped off so easily, revealing a matching cream and black lace set. How could he resist a beautiful, near naked witch who had been tempting him since she arrived? He had imagined what her body looked like under the robes and it was better than the images he had conjured in his own head.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes," she said as she leaned in and kissed him.

Against his better judgement, Severus kissed back. His hands found their place on her hips as Lyra began furiously disrobing him. It felt like it was taking an eternity to unbutton the front of his vest and under that there were even more buttons to undo. She had half a mind to rip them off but she didn't think he'd appreciate it. Instead she used it as foreplay, leaving kisses down his neck with each button she popped out. With a swift movement Severus I did her bra and fondled her breasts whilst she was undressing him. Once his top half was bare Lyra found her way to her knees and undid his pants, releasing his hardened member from its restraint.

She kissed the tip and teased, "You can't tell me you don't want this."

"Shut up, Lestrange," he said as he reached his hand down and pushed her head towards his cock, encouraging her to take him in her mouth. He moaned as the warmth of her mouth engulfed him, her tongue swirled and teased the underside of his rod. Heavens, the feeling alone made him want to come down her throat at once but he resisted.

Lyra would admit that it wasn't her proudest or best blowjob; the alcohol still had its hold on her brain resulting in sloppiness but she didn't care. Consumed by lust, Lyra continued her best efforts on working his manhood with her mouth, encouraged by the moans of pleasure that would past his lips. She looked up at the man towering over her, his face expressed his pleasure and bliss in the moment as she worked up and down his shaft. She felt her knickers get damp as she enjoyed the situation a little more than she should've.

Severus felt his orgasm building inside of him but he wasn't going to allow this moment go to waste, he gently pulled her head away from his cock. "Get on your bed, all fours," he ordered. Lyra obliged, following the instructions from the older wizard and offered up her body for him. Severus slid her underwear down, revealing her puckered asshole and juicy pussy. "Wet already?" he asked as he ran a finger down her slit. She moaned as his finger grazed her clitoris on its way down.

Lyra was too embarrassed to respond to his question, she lowered her head down onto the sheets, arching her back and pushing her ass out more. She felt a finger slide into her and she squeezed hard at its intrusion. It slowly began to move in and out, the friction was less than enough for her to get off. She craved to be filled by something more adequate.

"May I fuck you, Lestrange?" he asked.

"Please," she begged.

The tip of his cock teased her slit, her hips sliding back, begging for him to enter her when he was pressed against her entrance. "Severus," she said, "I thought you were going to shag me."

"I was just making sure," he teased before pushing his member all the way in with one quick movement. Lyra moaned loudly, encouraging Severus to continue his movements. He thrusted in and out; driving out more moans from Lyra. It had been so long since either had been intimate so neither had expected to last very long.

This wasn't passionate sex shared between two lovers, this was sex driven by pure lust and too much alcohol. It became more about achieving an orgasm rather than making the other feel good. Lyra reached down between her legs and began to rub herself closer to the edge whilst Severus continued to move at a steady pace. The tension began to build within both of them as they neared their peak. He felt her tighten around him and he told her, "Come for me."

And she did. The orgasm wracked through her body, setting every nerve alight. Severus felt her pussy pulse as she came and it set him off as well. He came inside her, collapsing on top of her once he had completed. Lyra was drifting off to sleep, the combination of alcohol and sex had completely drained her energy. Severus prompted her to get under the sheets before she could fully drift off.

Severus wanted to join the sleeping witch in bed but decided against his impulsive mind in this moment and got dressed. Before he left he ensured that Lyra was tucked in before making his way to the dungeons. It would be best if the Head of Slytherin would be found in his own bed the day the students were supposed to depart for the Christmas Holidays. He knew that it was an unwise decision to sleep with the Lestrange girl but who could resist a gorgeous witch presenting himself to him, it was all consensual of course. He hoped that when Lyra awoke that she wouldn't regret what had transpired. It wasn't something Severus allowed himself to dwell on for too long once he landed in his bed and fell asleep.

When Lyra awoke the next morning she found it strange that she was naked until she recalled what had occured the night before. Her cheeks flushed as she remembered how daring she'd been with Severus and their naked bodies moving primally on her bed. Her one night stand was nowhere to be seen and no trace had been left behind so she thought that maybe that's all it was, a quick meaningless shag as a result of too much alcohol. She wished that she had been a bit more sober so she could at least remember more vividly how his hands felt against her skin.

As she got up to prepare herself for the day she felt her thighs ache, a fact that irritated her more as it was obvious that he had given her a thorough fuck. It had been years since she had felt the touch of a wizard. She smiled to herself as she noted that he had neatly placed her dress and her bra on her dresser though she noticed her panties were missing, no doubt a trophy he thought he had earned. How Slytherin of him.

Severus awoke early the morning after the Ball and begrudgingly rolled out of bed. The fact that he got laid the prior night had no effect on his mood but the lack of sleep certainly did. When he exited his office he was faced with a sea of students heading up to the Great Hall for breakfast, chattering excitedly about their plans for the Christmas break. He watched on for a brief moment before joining the crowd to help himself to breakfast.

"Ah, Severus," Minerva greeted as he took a seat, "Where is your charming partner?"

"In bed I assume," he said shortly.

"So nothing happened?" she prodded.

"Did you expect something to happen?" he asked in return.

"Well you are the youngest teachers," she said, "And Lyra is a beautiful young women."

"Do you think I'd be appealing to her?" he asked.

"You're not that ugly, Severus," a woman said from behind as she took the seat between them.

Of course, Lyra Lestrange had to overhear that conversation. Minerva dropped the topic and allowed them to eat in peace. She left and once she was out of earshot Lyra spoke up, "I seem to be missing my panties from last night. You haven't seen them, have you?"

"I wouldn't have the faintest idea," Severus said with a smirk.

"Curious."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight – Christmas with the Black Sisters**

Lyra ended up going home for the holidays as there weren't many students who had stayed back at Hogwarts, there were about 15 students all up so most of the teachers went home except for the Heads of Houses who remained at Hogwarts to supervise. Lyra was greeted warmly by her Aunt and cousin who were waiting for her arrival. She saw them point as she walked up the driveway and the blonde haired boy bounced towards her. She picked him up and spun him around which was no easy feat but she held him close.

"I've missed you," he whispered.

"I've missed you too," she said with a peck on the cheek. The cousins walked hand and hand to the grand Manor that stood before them. A house elf appeared and apparated her belongings to her room so that she could walk freely.

"Lyra, dear," her Aunt said, taking her into an embrace. "Welcome home."

Things fell back into place so easily, it was almost as though she never left. Narcissa and Lyra caught up over tea and biscuits for a while, Draco listened in and pinched a few sweets before he got bored and begged Lyra to play with him. After he showed her some of his new toys they were chasing one another around the property. They flew for hours, though two felt as if it had been much less than that. Soon enough Narcissa was beckoning them back inside for dinner. The two of them were instructed to bathe and change into more appropriate attire as their clothing was soaked with the snow that had been falling.

Lyra took her place in her usual seat, greeting Lucius who had joined them. She recounted the stories she had already spoken to her Aunt and Lucius spoke of what was happening within the ministry which she could honestly care less about. Instead Lyra was thinking of the best way to approach the topic of Christmas Day with the Tonks' family. She knew her Aunt and Uncle would kick her to the curb if she mentioned visiting their blood traitor sister but she knew that she had to have an excuse to get her away from the house from most of the day. When there was a lull in conversation Lyra decided to launch her plan into action.

"I'm thinking about visiting my mother and father on Christmas day," Lyra said.

You could hear the clatter of metal against china as her Aunt and Uncle dropped their utensils. "What?" Narcissa asked.

"I haven't seen them in a while," she explained, "I thought it'd be fitting, give them something to live for, you know?"

Narcissa shot a glance at Lucius. "I can go with you," he offered.

Lyra shook her head, "It's something I'd like to do alone."

"Very well," Lucius said, resuming his meal. "I'll put you down on the list to visit."

The family ate in silence for the remainder of the meal. The tension between the family seemed to be gone by the time the next day rolled around. Lyra spent each day keeping Draco out of his parents hair and loved the undivided attention his older cousin was giving him. Occasionally she'd stay up late after Draco had gone to bed and drink with her Uncle, listening to him ramble about his conspiracies regarding the Dark Lord and how he thought that Harry Potter would be a greater, darker wizard. Lyra merely rolled her eyes, amused at the gossip spread between the pure-blood wizards.

Christmas came around and Lyra woke up early in order to make her way to Azkaban. It wasn't just a rouse, she did fully intend to see her mother and father before she would head to the Tonks' family Christmas lunch. She felt inspired to reconnect with her family, realising that it had been at least two years since she had last seen them. Lyra had two bars of chocolate tucked away in her robes, hoping to give it to her parents as a way to make up for her lack of presence.

The last time she had gone to Azkaban was at the conclusion of her schooling. Lyra had announced that she was going to become a healer, whilst her father was proud her mother on the other hand was not. She begged Lyra to seek the Dark Lord and bring him back to power. Lyra refused causing her mother to yell and scream at her, cursing Lucius for corrupting her daughter as he pulled Lyra away from the cell.

Lyra felt guilty for allowing so much time to slip by before coming back. At least she was making the effort now and perhaps the chocolate could bridge the gap between her parents. It was something so small and silly but it was all she had, there was nothing else she could give them. She knew it would probably be confiscated before she could even enter the boat but she had to try and she was willing to pull some old tricks to get it to work.

Lyra walked a distance out of the Manor's protective enchantments and apparated to a wharf near Lerwick, Shetland Islands, a place that she had come to usually with the assistance of her Uncle. There were two Scotsman standing on the end of the dock along with two Dementors. She approached and stated her business. "Lyra Lestrange," she said, "Daughter of Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange here to visit."

"Wand please," the red-headed man on the right stated. Lyra reluctantly gave up her pine to the man.

"Anything on you?" the other asked.

"Just some chocolate," she said timidly.

"That is contraband," the red headed man stated.

"It's Christmas, Gar."

"Still contraband," the man named Gar said.

Lyra began to tear up and her breathing deepened, attempting to gain sympathy from the guardsmen. Lyra wasn't troubled by the fact that she wouldn't be allowed to bring it through, in fact she never expected to be able to but she wanted to see if she could. Crying on command was one of her special techniques that she could use to manipulate people if she wanted to. It was an art she had perfected when she was in Durmstrang and helped her out of a sticky situation.

"This poor girl has been through enough," the kinder man said, "How long have your parents been in?"

"Since I was 11," she wiped some of the tears that had spilled from her eyes, "I just thought it'd be nice." She pulled the chocolate out from her coat.

"Keep it," the man said, "I'll take her in, Gar."

"Thank you sir," she said with a smile.

"My names Iain," he said. He extended his wand and a boat emerged from the water. The two of them hoped on, followed by a Dementor. He propelled them forward wordlessly and remained silent for their journey, not wanting the taste the sea that was splashing into the air. It felt awfully cold despite Lyra being decked out in her winter gear, the presence of the Dementor didn't help. She could tell it was hungry, waiting for food.

The boat ride was quick, it only took ten minutes before they arrived at the island. The wizard allowed Lyra to traverse the complex alone, ensuring that she would be protected by the Dementor that had arrived with her. Lyra made her way up the stairs she recalled climbing at least hundred times, making her way to her mother's cell. It broke her heart when she saw her, she swore she wasn't that thin the last time she had seen her. She approached the cell and stood before it, attempting to prepare herself for the interaction.

"Mum?" she whispered.

Her mother turned around, her features had sunk in more and looked as if she was almost a ghost. "Alone this time, Lyra? It's been a while."

Lyra sighed, "I know. I'm sorry."

"I can't help but be disappointed in you for refusing to seek out our Lord," Bellatrix said.

Lyra looked down, afraid to look into her mother's eyes.

"So why are you here?" she asked, "Have you changed your mind?"

"No, it's Christmas. I thought I'd pop by to see you."

Bellatrix's face was unamused. "How much time has passed?"

"Three years?"

"So you're twenty," Bellatrix came closer to the bars and Lyra took in her mother's appearance. Her hair was unkempt and unwashed, it wouldn't surprise her if her mother hadn't been bathed for months because it certainly smelled that way. The light seemed to have gone from her eyes, any hope of humanity seemed to have vanished and instead a crazier one was there. "Tell me, are you a healer yet?"

"I have a couple of years left of study," Lyra said.

"Then what will you do?"

"I'm not sure."

"When I was your age I was married, I had you and I was training under the Dark Lord."

"So Aunt Cissy reminds me."

"She hasn't found you a suitor?"

"She did suggest Carrow."

Bellatrix's mouth twisted slightly in disgust, "That won't do. You will have to wait until our Lord returns, perhaps Barty would be suitable."

"I have no interest in marriage and children, mother."

"Nor did I, Lyra. Surely Cissy and Lucius have taught you that it is your duty."

"Yes, I'm much more interested in more academic pursuits."

"Yet you are unsure as to what you will do next. Although I would have prefered for you to pursue the Dark Arts like myself I do believe that the Dark Lord will find your talent in Healing useful. Perhaps he will take you on as an apprentice as he did with your father and myself."

"I hope I am worthy."

"If you truly are my daughter you will be."

"I got you this," Lyra reached into her pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar.

Her mother looked somewhat impressed, her eyebrows raised in amusement. "And how did you manage to get contraband into a place like this?"

Lyra replayed her act, her tears beginning to spill once more. "Oh, I haven't seen my parents for years. They've been here since I was eleven." Lyra wiped her tears away.

Bellatrix smirked, "Perhaps you are truly my daughter but Lyra, I do not wish to see you until he is back. Only then will our family be reunited."

Lyra didn't know if the family she was referring to was the Death Eaters or the Lestranges but she nodded and accepted it. Bellatrix walked away and sat in the corner of her cell, playing with the wrapping of the chocolate bar as though she treasured it. Lyra didn't know if she was depressed by the presence of the dementors of to see her mother in that state. She gathered herself and went down the hall to see her father.

Along the way were many other shrunken faces, staring almost lifelessly at her. She arrived at her father's cell and peered in. Her engagement with her father was brief but significantly more positive than her mother's. His demeanour seemed significantly stronger than Bellatrix's but she could tell he was significantly weaker and thinner than the last time she saw him. She passed her father the chocolate bar that was hidden away in her robes. He smiled and held her hand through the bars.

"I promise I'll get you out," she said, squeezing her father's hand.

"Don't make promises you can't fulfill," he said, "I love you, Lyra."

With that Lyra left her father, she did drop in on a few other Death Eaters that she knew, including Barty Crouch Junior and her Uncle Rabastan though she didn't have any more chocolate hidden in her robes for them. She spoke to them for a few moments, in attempt to keep their sanity though she was unsure what comfort her words could give them. Most of them had their heads filled with thoughts that the Dark Lord would return which was how they kept their grip onto the world. Lyra didn't want to believe it, knowing the suffering that people had suffered during the war, though the theory was a lot more convincing than her Uncle's theory about the Potter child. She wondered how long they would be able to keep their sanity and whether or not she could truly help her mother and father escape.

As she turned her back on Azkaban she felt empty as she left her real family behind. She knew in her heart that these people had done things wrong but did they truly deserve to be punished like this? She thought of her mother and how she was nearly just skin and bones. Lyra believed it was inhumane, no matter the crime that they had committed, siding with the work of Eldritch Diggory though he was before her time. She honestly couldn't believe that the ministry had let it continue on for so long in this state.

Iain was waiting on the edge of the island to bring her back to the Shetland Islands. Gar hesitantly returned Lyra's wand to her and she apparated to the Leaky Cauldron. She let go of the feelings that had been stewing inside of her and allowed herself to be open to the experiences that were supposed to happen today for it was Christmas and she needed some positivity. Lyra had arranged to meet the Tonks family at the Leaky Cauldron before they would take her to their home. She spotted the trio right away as Tonks sported her signature bubblegum pink hair and the older woman who stood there with a stunning likeness to her mother.

Lyra went up to her estranged family members and gave Tonks a hug. "Hey, Merry Christmas," Lyra said.

"Wotcher, Merry Christmas," Tonks responded as she separated from her cousin. "This is my mother, Andromeda and my father, Ted."

"Pleasure to meet you both," Lyra said, giving them a hug and a kiss on the cheek each.

"Right, shall we go?" Ted asked, offering an arm to Tonks.

"I'll apparate alongside you," Andromeda said. Lyra nodded and with a smile she took her Aunt's hand and felt herself being pulled through a tight space and she materialised at the Tonks' house. It was a quaint, double storey cottage with a decent amount of land attached which was currently covered in a thick blanket of snow. The four of them left foot prints in their wake as they made their way to the front door.

When they opened it you could feel the warmth emulating from the room, not only from the fire but from their decorations. It felt as if it was a warm and loving home just by its appearance. Lyra removed her coat and hung it alongside her cousins and they lead her into the kitchen and began cooking. Lyra assisted as best she could but instead ended up learning tricks from her Aunt and Uncle.

"You don't cook?" Ted asked astonished.

"Narcissa claims the kitchen as her own," Lyra shrugged, "That is when it's not over run by house elves."

"That sounds like my sister," Andromeda laughed.

Lyra gave a small smile as she knew it was a bit awkward to speak of her estranged sisters. She personally thought it was dumb to outcast family based on blood purity but it was what it was.

The married couple finished cooking and Nymphadora set the table for the four of them to eat. Lyra knew her manners and thanked the chef for his cooking which he happily accepted. The family dug into their meals and began to converse about life.

"So how've your holidays been so far?" Tonks asked.

"It's been good," she said, "I've mainly been spending time with Draco, Narcissa and Lucius' son, he's ten. I also went and saw my parents this morning."

"You went to Azkaban this morning?" Andromeda asked shocked.

Lyra nodded, "It's cruel there, I can't believe we let them live in those conditions."

"But they deserve it," Ted said firmly.

Lyra shook her head, "If you saw how they lived you wouldn't wish it upon your worst enemy."

"Did you tell my sister where you were going today?" Andromeda asked.

"I told her I was going to Azkaban but not here," Lyra said, "I figured they'd kick me out if they knew. I'm still gathering the funds to move out so I can be done with all that nonsense but it's hard when you're studying and the teachers wage is not the best."

"Well if you ever need a place to stay my home is always welcome to you," her Aunt said, "You were much too young to remember but I used to babysit you when your mother was running of with You-Know-Who's crowd."

"Really?" Lyra's eyes brightened at the discovery of a piece of her history.

"Yes but that didn't last long," she continued, "Bella and Cissy disowned me after I married Ted."

Lyra frowned, "I'm sorry."

"That's how it was in the Black family," Andromeda shrugged.

"Narcissa has taken to trying to find me a respectable pure blood wizard to marry to carry out the line," Lyra said with a laugh, "I'm in my prime and should have children as soon as I can."

Her Aunt snorted, "Cissy didn't even have children until she was 25 because Bella had you so young. Narcissa had to spend a lot of time helping our parents raise you because Bellatrix was too busy working for You-Know-Who and look where she is now."

The table went silent as their family secrets were revealed to the younger two.

"Sorry," Andromeda said, "I got a bit carried away there."

"Don't worry about it," Lyra said. "I should probably stop bringing up your sisters. They'd probably bite my head off if I mentioned your name around them." Lyra gave her a sympathetic smile.

The conversation turned to Nymphadora, who cringed every time her full name was mentioned by her mother. After they finished lunch they spoke for a couple more hours and Lyra felt comfortable in the Tonks' house. It was a lot more warm and inviting than the Malfoy Manor. She glanced at the clock and realising the time she excuse herself.

"I've really got to get going," Lyra said, "Aunt Cissy will kill me if I'm late."

"I understand," her Aunt said as she pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Thank you so much for having me," Lyra said, "I really enjoyed myself." Ted hugged her as well. "Thank you for lunch, it was beautiful. I'm going to try and make it myself one day thanks to your tricks."

"I'll see you at school," Tonks said as she gave her cousin a hug goodbye.

"Yes," Lyra said, "Make sure you're doing your homework, you can't be an auror if you don't put in the work."

Tonks laughed sheepishly. The family escorted her outside into the cold and with a wave and a turn Lyra disapparated from the Tonks' property. Lyra landed outside the Malfoy Manor and made her way into the house. She shrugged off her jacket and hung it on the rack, noting that there was an extra black coat on the hook. There were voices coming from the drawing room, she suspected it was her Aunt and Uncle with company. Lyra approached the door and as she was about to open it she noticed the handle shift before her hand reached it and a blonde haired boy had poked his head out before looking up at her.

"Lyra's home," Draco announced, he opened the door wide so Lyra could enter.

Lyra observes that Lucius and Narcissa were sipping on some wine whilst they entertained their guest who happened to be Severus Snape. "Good evening," she said a short curtsy.

"Come, sit," Lucius said as he flicked his wand, pulling a chair forward. He summoned a glass that began to fill with whatever the three were drinking and Lyra took her place. "We were just discussing how you were doing at Hogwarts."

Lyra drew a deep sip from her cup, knowing that she'd need the wine to tolerate the tedious conversation that was about to take place. They enquired about Azkaban which was an uncomfortable topic before moving onto Lucius' influence at the Ministry which was where Lyra began to tune out. Lyra's focus drifted onto the man she had slept with only five nights before. He seemed at ease; engaged in whatever Lucius was saying. It looked as though he wasn't bothered by the fact that he had a one night stand with the niece of the man he was speaking with.

It wasn't something they had discussed, Lyra had left for her holidays much too quickly for the two of them to share their opinions. She had merely left him with a few teasing words which left the door open for a lot of interpretation. Lyra didn't know what she wanted but she knew she appreciated the attention of the Potions Master and wouldn't mind being under him again.

Severus eyes glanced towards her, catching her stare. She averted her eyes immediately, as though his eyes could see through her mind and she attempted to focus on her Uncle's words but it was difficult when she could see Severus' eyes glance down at her body as though he was stripping her in his mind's eye. Her cheeks turned a faint pink which her Aunt noticed.

"Are you alright, Lyra?" She asked.

"Of course," Lyra said, attempting to shake off the feeling of being naked. "I'm just a bit flushed, probably just the wine."

The conversation resumed, Lucius was now gossiping about another pure blood family. Lyra was thankful when the house elf appeared, inviting them to the dining room for dinner. Severus took the seat next to Lyra which she could tell her cousin didn't like but he knew better than to start a fuss. Severus' knee grazed hers as he took his seat causing Lyra to blush even more furiously.

'Why am I so embarrassed?' she asked herself while she was attempting to regain her composure. This was a question that Severus also asked himself, was Lyra interested in him or was she embarrassed of what happened after the Founding Ball. The latter option seemed unlikely as she confidently teased him at breakfast the morning after. Severus found himself daring to rest a hand on her thigh during the meal as a way to find out what she truly thought of him. She didn't protest, in fact he noticed her breathing slow and her pupils had dilated at his touch. His hand inched closer towards her womanhood despite it being covered by too much fabric and the blush that reappeared on her cheeks was all too telling. She was managing to maintain the conversation well but she couldn't hide the signs her body was giving away.

Once everyone finished eating Narcissa excused herself, insisting that she put Draco to bed and informed the company present that she too would be retiring to bed. Lucius stayed with the teachers as they moved back to the drawing room and caught up with his old friend. In all honesty, Lyra wished to go to bed as well, her day was much too long and tiring for her tolerate idle chatter about what was going on in the magical politics and the feel of Severus' hand on her thigh at dinner made her want to process things in the bathtub. Alas, Lyra knew she was expected to keep the two wizards company until Severus chose to depart.

"I think I shall retire as well," Lucius announced.

"I'll be off then," Severus said, "Thank you for dinner."

"Oh no," Lucius insisted, "Stay, drink, chat. Lyra will keep you company, you can stay in the third guest room. It's much too late to be journeying home."

Severus would usually reject the Malfoy's hospitality but he found himself agreeing as he would be able to question the blushing witch about what she wanted. Lucius left them and the two of them sat in a tense silence as they listened to his footsteps get further away and climb the staircase.

Once Lucius was out of earshot Lyra attempted to break the awkward silence, "Well." She wanted to say a lot more but her usual confidence had been lost and replaced by apprehension.

"Well," Severus echoed in a mocking tone.

She stared at Severus for a moment before emptying her glass, thinking that it might give her some confidence to string a few more purposeful words together. "It is quite late and I've had a long day," Lyra said, excusing herself. "I will show you to your room?" She didn't mean for the end of her sentence to seem so uncertain but she didn't want to draw too much attention to it and correct herself.

"Very well," Severus replied.

The two got up and made their way up the marble staircase. Lyra lead him to the right, down the hall to the west wing. Their footsteps echoed as they walked the length, Lyra pointed out the use for each of the large black doors that could fit half a giant through it.

"So, this is my room," she said as she walked briskly down the corridor. "The bathroom." She stopped for a second to push the door open, revealing a grand bathroom with a large spa bath sitting on marble tiles. The Malfoy's did love their marble. "And the door just further down will be yours for tonight. If you need anything let me know. I'm going to have a bath."

Lyra noticed a smirk cross his lips and she braced herself for what he was about to say. "I recall an offer that you made a while ago," Severus said, "You said that I could join you."

Lyra blushed like a schoolgirl. She didn't know why today she felt so embarrassed about everything, perhaps it was because she was in her Aunt and Uncle's house and didn't want them to know. She took a deep breath out hoping it would rid her of her nervousness and spoke, "Would you like to join me, Severus?"

"I would," he said as he entered the bathroom.

Lyra followed and with a pulled out her wand. She pointed it at the bath and the tub began to fill with hot water and bubbles. Severus began to undress and Lyra simply watched as he popped out each button, she recalled how she did so the other night and how she got down on her knees for him and took his cock in her mouth. Lyra stared as he removed his underwear, unleashing his half hard penis.

"Nothing you haven't seen before," he said.

Lyra became very self-conscious, she felt her heart was rapidly beating and she felt arousal begin to pool between her thighs. Even her nipples had hardened, standing obviously beneath the thick material of her dress.

"Now, are you going to get undressed to?" Severus asked as he approached her, "Or do you bathe dressed? Turn around."

She followed his direction without even questioning why. She felt his hands press upon her back as he undid her dress. "Why are you so embarrassed?" he whispered in her ear. The heat and his tone of voice were enough to make her melt to the floor in the same manner her dress had dropped. His lips caressed her neck as he undid her bra and she shivered.

"You should get in before you freeze," Severus said.

Lyra nodded, removing her panties and discarding them in the pile that Severus had made. She slid into the bathtub and dunked her head under in one go, wanting to hide from the embarrassment she felt from the events over the past two hours. When she popped her head out Severus was entering the tub on the other side. He had stopped the tub from running the water with his wand before they got in. The two sat facing each other, Lyra attempting to hide herself using the bubbles.

"Who knew that you were all talk, Lestrange," Severus goaded.

"You make me nervous," she said.

"You weren't so nervous the other night," he said, "In fact you were begging me to fuck you."

"It's a lot easier to admit what you want when you're drunk," she said.

"So, you're admitting that you want me?" he asked.

"Mmmm," she hummed, "Maybe."

"Only maybe?"

"I might need some convincing," she said.

"Is that so?" Severus asked as he shifted slowly to her side of the bath, sitting uncomfortably close to Lyra. She turned to face him, her cheeks were flush, her stomach was stirring, her crotch was aching. He leaned closer, allowing him to feel her breath on her face, tempting her to kiss him. She took the bait and her lips enveloped his. They separated for a brief moment but Lyra pulled him back, wrapping her arm around his neck and burying her hand in his hair. Severus' hand drifted under the water and onto her outer thigh. He allowed his hand to wander upwards, following the curve of her body until he reached her breast and squeezed it softly. His thumb flicked over her hard nipples causing her to moan into the kiss.

Lyra's other hand found its way to his chest, she savoured every moment as she dragged it down his lightly defined pectoral muscles and his stomach before reaching his erection. She toyed with it, squeezing and rubbing her thumb on its tip before slowly transitioning to a handjob. Severus became distracted by her touch, he pulled himself away from her lips as his breathing became laboured. Lyra enjoyed watching his face twist in pleasure.

Using his right hand, Severus buried it between her legs, allowing the arousal that had been building to leak out. A finger found its way into her entrance and he curled it upwards so every movement hit her g-spot. Her strokes on his cock became more sloppy as she lost concentration on her rhythm. Her eyes were closed, focused on the pleasure she felt inside her.

"Still not convinced?" Severus asked.

Lyra bit her lip, looking at the man in front of her that was working her to her orgasm. She moaned as his fingers left her and she felt empty. Lyra straddled the Potions Master, allowing his cock to slip easily inside her. He held her hips down, preventing her from moving though she still tried to gain friction.

"Admit it," he whispered, "and I'll let you ride me until you come."

"I want you," she moaned.

Severus' hands released her hips and instead groped her breasts as she rode him. The friction wasn't enough to get him off but watching her concentrate and move her hips so wildly might've been. His hand tweaked her nipples, earning him a moan of encouragement. Lyra's hand reached down between her legs to stimulate her clitoris, wanting to reach her orgasm faster but Severus held her arm back.

"You'll come from only my touch," he said.

She looked as though she was about to cry but she listened. Instead her hands rested on his shoulders for leverage as she bounced on his dick. The water in the tub didn't help, it washed away her wetness and didn't allow her to feel his cock properly. She continued to grind into his pelvis, desperate to achieve an orgasm. Severus pulled on her nipples harder and she felt herself get closer to the edge.

Severus was amused at the young witch who was desperately attempting to climax using him as though he was a toy. Just by the few interactions he had with Lyra he could tell that she had submissive tendencies and him telling her what to do drove her mad. She was so keen to please him, in the wrong hands a man could make her lose her mind. As he pulled on her nipples harder he could tell that she liked the pain more than a normal witch would. What would her mother think if she knew her daughter was a masochist?

"Sev!" she moaned as she came hard around him. Her hips bucked furiously as she reached her climax. She collapsed in his arms and Severus held her close, stroking her back as she came down from her orgasm.

"I think you liked that a bit too much, Lestrange," he said, his cock still painfully hard and buried inside her.

"Mmm," she hummed as she removed herself from his member, "Maybe."

Lyra wrapped her hand around it and began working it. Severus closed his eyes, enjoying the pleasure she was giving him. She squeezed and rubbed it, listening to what sounds he was making in response to each manoeuvre. Once Lyra figured out what he liked she quickly rubbed him until he came. With a deep groan, Severus ejaculated into the tub.

"You seem to have had a lot of practice," he said.

"Are you calling me a slut?" she asked with a face of mock horror.

"Maybe," he said.

Lyra stood up and removed herself from the tub. Severus merely watched, enjoying how her body looked as water droplets cascaded down her body. "Leaving so soon?" he asked.

"As much as I enjoy your company, marinating in your semen is where I draw the line," she said as she toweled herself. "So why are you here?"

"Lucius invited me," he said.

"I gathered as much," she said with an eyeroll, she pulled a robe on. "Aren't there children to supervise at Hogwarts?"

"A few but they can handle them without me for a night," he replied. He got up out of the bath and he noticed Lyra's tongue lick her lips. "Do you want more already, Lestrange?"

"Maybe," she said.

Severus helped himself to a towel and dried off. He put on a robe as well before asking, "Maybe I can see your room?"

"Very well," she said as she pushed the door open. She lead him to her room and opened the door. He expected the walls to be covered with posters with medical diagrams and possibly musicians that she admired but to his surprise it was completely bare. It looked plain, as though she didn't even live there at all. It could be another guest room from what he observed.

"You have no personality," he said.

"Were you planning on reading me based on my decor?" she asked amused. She took a seat on her bed and Severus remained standing. "This place has never felt like home to me, as much as I love my family I've always felt as though I was imposing. I've been planning on moving out for a while but I'm still gathering the funds."

"Your parents didn't leave you anything?" he asked.

"Of course they did," she said, "But it doesn't feel like mine. I'd like to earn it."

Lyra stifled a yawn and leaned back on her bed. "How's sleep been?" Severus enquired.

"Good," she said, "Everything was a lot better thanks to your potion but come to think of it I haven't used it since we slept together. Maybe you shagged it out of me."

Severus smirked, "Who knew that my cock would be the cure? Should've tried it earlier."

"I might need another dose to put me to sleep tonight," she said as she loosened her robe so he could see her flesh.

"Oh really?" he said, "What happened to shy Miss Lestrange who couldn't even look at me without blushing before?"

"Must've shagged that out of me too."

"Well, I'm afraid if you want more you'll have to beg for it."

"Severus, will you please fuck me?"

Severus undid his robe, his penis barely at half mast. "I think I need some convincing."

Lyra walked up to him and dropped to her knees, it was a sight that Severus would love to get used to. She ran her tongue down its length while she looked up at him, watching for his reaction. When she finally took him in his mouth was when he closed his eyes in bliss. She sucked and teased with her tongue, bobbing up and down at times. Severus hand reached down and grabbed a fist full of her hair so he could guide her pace on his cock. He swore he was about to burst and come but he stopped her, pulling her away from his erection.

"I thought you wanted to get fucked," he said.

"I do," she said.

"All fours on your bed," he said as he untangled his hand from her hair.

He appreciated the view as she pushed her ass up into the air, he squeezed it and spread it so he had a better view of her pussy. It was glistening with wetness so Severus didn't tease her this time, there was no need to. He pressed his cock against her entrance, sliding in with no problems. Moaning, Lyra ground her hips back into Severus' pelvis and fucked herself on his cock for a while. He enjoyed the feeling but after a while the friction wasn't enough so with his hands on her hips he guided her pace into a faster one. He reached around and rubbed her clitoris, knowing that she enjoyed feeling it rubbed while she was filled and she moaned louder. Her hands gripped tightly onto the sheets as he drove his cock in and out of her.

Every thrust pushed Severus closer to the edge but he wanted Lyra to come first. He paced himself, slowing his thrusts whilst he focused on rubbing circles around her sensitive spot. It allowed him to enjoy the moment for a bit longer, enjoying the feel and look of her body beneath him. She pushed back in a moan of pleasure and moved her hips at a quicker pace, hinting for him to speed up. Severus obliged, quickening his tempo but treating her clitoris a little more rough.

The stimulation was driving Lyra closed to the edge, she squeezed her eyes tightly as she focused on the feeling building in her crotch. Severus felt her walls tighten around him as he repeatedly drove his pelvis into hers. He grabbed a hold of her ass and in front of him he saw an opportunity to drive her over the edge. His thumb caressed her crack and pressed lightly onto the tight star that was above the hole he was in. Lyra felt as if he was almost threatening to go in. The thought alone was enough to allow her to lose all control as she felt her body lose its tension as her orgasm ripped through her.

The sounds that Lyra was making was Severus' undoing. As she basked in the afterglow of her orgasm she was still moaning from Severus continuing his rhythm. She felt him desperately grab her thighs before he exploded inside her. He removed himself from her and Lyra collapsed on the bed. Severus reached for his wand and pointed at his ejaculate that was oozing out of her and it disappeared.

"Stay with me this time," she said as she pulled herself up and under her sheets.

"I shouldn't," he said as he pulled his robe back on.

"The best part about sex is the cuddles after," she said.

"You've never done the casual sex thing before have you?"

"I have," she said, "I just like my cuddles after. Is that so wrong?"

"It's dangerous."

"I'm so scared," she said sarcastically. "Goodnight then, good luck sleeping in your bed alone."

She rolled over, facing away from Severus as he switched the light off. "Goodnight, Lestrange."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine – New Years with Old Friends**

Severus didn't want to admit that he did find himself rather lonely in the guest bedroom two doors down from Lyra's room though he did find it rather easy to fall asleep as he was tired from the two rounds of sex that occurred the night prior. He knew that Lucius would probably kill him if he found out he was shagging his niece under his roof but the risk is what made it so much more exciting. Severus slept in more than he usually would and found himself rather well rested. His clothes had reappeared fresh and clean, folded on the dresser opposite his bed. He could get rather comfortable having a house elf around, even the elves at Hogwarts weren't that good.

Severus dressed himself and headed out into the hallway. As he passed Lyra's room he noticed that the door had been left ajar and Lyra was nowhere to be seen. He walked down the stairs and took a right into the living room where he saw Lyra sitting with her cousin, reading in front of the fireplace that warmed the house. He smiled fondly at the sight and not wanting to disturb them found his way to the drawing room where Lucius sat, newspaper in hand.

"Ah, Severus," Lucius said, "I didn't want to disturb you, apparently you were sleeping rather peacefully. The elves will fetch you breakfast if you please."

"I have duties to attend to at Hogwarts so I should go," Severus explained, "Thank you for your hospitality. Please pass on my thanks to Narcissa."

"Of course," Lucius said, placing his newspaper down. He shook Severus' hand a bit stronger than usual. Did he know what had transpired? He pulled the wizard close and said in a venomous voice, "If you are going to be shagging my niece just make sure she doesn't get pregnant. The last thing we want is a stain upon the family, you must understand."

Severus felt his blood run cold, "Of course."

Lucius let go and with a smile he asked, "Aren't you going to say goodbye to her at least?"

Severus walked to the living room and knocked. Lyra looked up and Draco shifted in her lap. "I'm going now," he said, "I'll see you at Hogwarts."

The witch noticed there was a tense feeling between her Uncle and Severus which worried her. Lucius was standing awfully close to the Potions Master so Lyra touched the back of Draco's back, coaxing him off her lap and stood, "I'll walk you out."

Lyra followed the two wizards to the entrance and pulled her coat on. Lucius watched as they began to walk the distance to the outskirts of the anti-apparation barrier. In a low voice Severus whispered, "He knows."

Lyra would've frozen to the spot but she knew that Lucius would've been keeping a watchful eye on the two as they walked together if he suspected something. "How?" she whispered.

"It was naive of us to think we could have sex in his house without knowing," he said with a sour look.

"What did he say?" she asked.

"To not get you pregnant," he recalled, "That it would be a stain upon the family."

"Just between you and me I don't care for all that bullshit," she said, "I know I'm expected to marry a pureblood but I want to marry for love. I don't think that you're worth less than me because you're a half-blood."

Severus remained silent. The only thing that was heard was their boots shifting in the snow beneath them. Lyra didn't feel comfortable enough to speak up so she let the sound of each step sit with her as she pushed aside the feelings that were brewing beneath the surface. It was strange to think that her heart ached a little at the possibility that her relationship with Severus might be coming to a premature end. She wanted to think that at least he'd always be there as a friend or a colleague but she felt that the word of their affair would impact their ability to maintain any relationship at all. It saddened her as she glanced over at the man who brought her pleasure, wanting nothing more than to hold his hand for reassurance that he was still there and she hadn't lost him yet.

Despite the relatively short distance between the house and the barrier it felt so long for the pair to be travelling silently together. The tension that hung between them was even worse than when Severus had escorted Lyra to Hogwarts. In the silence, the wizard found himself considering what to do about his current predicament. Her Uncle knew about the nature of their relationship, if this was any other wizard he probably wouldn't care but he knew that Lucius Malfoy was not a man you wanted to cross. If things ended badly between the two he would have to deal with his fury. Even if it didn't end there was no way her family would readily accept him into their fold because of his heritage. It didn't matter if Lyra cared or not, if it came down to it he knew that they would make him disappear. The nature of their relationship would have to remain strictly casual and Severus wasn't sure if he could maintain it. It was easier to be cold to her than lukewarm and now that he had a taste for her he just wanted more. Severus had already felt his heart tug several times at the thought of being with Lyra. He had excused that feeling for being an emotion lesser than love but he still felt strongly towards the young witch, wanting to spend more time with her.

The internal conflict within the pair waged on. It wasn't something that could be resolved in a few minutes of contemplation. The witch and wizard realised their feet had taken them past the barrier and they stopped outside it. The pair turned to face each other, Severus was tempted to disapparate on the spot and deal with the consequences later but he knew that wouldn't be fair on Lyra. "When are you planning on coming back?" he asked.

"The Friday before school starts," she said as she tucked her hands in her pocket in an attempt to warm them, "I can come back earlier if you want."

"And why would I want that?"

"Because you enjoy my company," she smiled. The worries she had faded and instead her usual playful manner came through. "Don't let Lucius talk you out of a good thing."

"And what is this thing?"

"I'm guessing we could have a friends with benefits deal."

"Those deals hardly end well."

"That's because people are stupid enough to fall in love when they're not supposed to," Lyra said, her eyebrows raised, "I think we're both mature enough and can manage our emotions."

"Says the twenty year old," he replied dismissively.

"If you don't want me then fine," she said as she closed the distance between them, "But I know that once you're back at Hogwarts you'll feel lonely and you'll come crawling back to me, wanting me to warm your bed at night and when you get horny you'll play last night over in your mind. You'll think of how I felt beneath you and how you made me beg for you to fuck me." Lyra took a step back and turned around, beginning her journey back. "I'll be waiting for your owl."

Severus watched as the Lestrange girl turned her back on him and walked away. He took a deep breath of the cold air as it mixed with the warmth he felt towards her inside of his body. He knew she was right but uncertainty weighed heavy on his mind as he questioned how was it would be to continue shagging the Lestrange witch. He closed his eyes and his mind drifted to the night prior. There were flashes of her naked body, his cock buried inside her, her moaning and coming. Lyra had gotten into his head and he knew it wouldn't be easy to get her out. He turned on the spot, disapparating from the Malfoy Manor.

Lyra didn't bother to look back as he left, knowing she was still under the watchful eye of her Uncle. She dreaded the interaction that was about to happen as she walked up the stairs of the porch. She removed her outerwear and put them neatly away whilst her Uncle watched.

Lyra sighed as she looked at him, "Yes, Uncle?"

"What do you think you're doing with him?" he asked with a vicious undertone to his words.

"Why don't you tell me?" she asked in reply, "You seem to have made your own assumptions already."

Lucius closed his eyes for a second, keeping his temper in check. He took on his fatherly role as he addressed his niece with a firm tone. "Lyra, your Aunt and I have done our best to instill the values that your mother and father would have if they could have raised you. I don't think they would appreciate the nature of your relationship with Severus."

Lyra's resolve resided as Lucius laid on the parental guilt. "It's just sex," she protested, "You can't tell me that you didn't shag any mudbloods in your day."

"That's besides the point, Lyra," he said, "Your duty as a daughter of one of the sacred 28 is to carry out the pure blood line, it's counterproductive to be sleeping around with anyone lesser. You should be trying to find a husband so you can start having children. If you'd like your Aunt and I can arrange to find someone suitable."

"I don't want to get married and have kids yet, Uncle," she said.

"It's something you need to start to consider," he said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "I know you're young and want to mess around but you should be doing it at least with the right sort of people, contraceptive charms and anti-fertility potions aren't foolproof as you know. If a pure blood ended up getting you pregnant then you could convince him to stick around, with Severus on the other hand you know we can't allow it. I also don't want you falling in love with him because you'll think that I'm the bad guy when I tell you that you can't be with him."

Lyra smiled in amusement at his words, she shook her head once he finished. Her eyebrows raised, "You think I'm going to fall in love with him."

"I think you already have," he said, "You need to keep your distance, Lyra. Don't be foolish, you need to remember your place and your duty." He squeezed her shoulder hard.

Lyra frowned, exhaling deeply. "I didn't ask for this life."

"Neither did I, Lyra," he said letting go of her shoulder. "You will learn to live with the expectations as many others have. I didn't love Narcissa when I married her but I learned to, we can easily arrange a marriage for you once you're ready and you too will learn."

Lucius left Lyra with those words and she carried them throughout the day, even as she played with Draco, it was on her mind. She felt as though she was born into the wrong family, she didn't want the expectations that were put on her from being a Lestrange and a Black to rule her life. It was as though her family name had caused her so much trouble, from when she was a student at Hogwarts and even when she wanted to become a healer, everyone already had an opinion formed about who she was or would be. She was expected to be cruel, sadistic and a purist like her parents but in fact she was the opposite. When she had started her schooling at Hogwarts she was determined to change her life, to rebel against her family's ideals and attempt to make a new name for herself and despite numerous setbacks she found herself as her own person but she was still uncertain as to whether she truly was.

Lyra felt a great conflict wage between her heart and her head as she wanted to be a good person but also craved the validation and attention from her family. Was it worth sacrificing her family for love? She knew that she had romanticised the idea since she was younger, even telling Severus that was her want but when it all came down to it, could she? She thought of her Aunt Andromeda, completely removed from her life until now. She seemed happy enough with Ted but she could imagine how difficult it would've been to raise Tonks without the support of her sisters and parents. Could she live her life without the presence of her Aunt Narcissa, Uncle Lucius and dear young Draco?

When Lyra finally retired to bed she found her thoughts drift towards Severus and the passion that they shared the night prior. Maybe it was just the attention of a man she wanted and Severus was merely convenient, it had been years since she last shared a bed with a wizard and they had been nowhere near experienced as Severus. Lucius' words echoed around in her head, was she falling for him? No, she didn't think so. She dismissed the feelings that were inside her as lust as she replayed the sex in her mind, feeling herself getting aroused. She rubbed herself to sleep that night with aid of her memory, allowing her mind to go blank.

Lyra felt as though the remainder of her days at the Malfoy Manor would be uneventful. She would spend her time entertaining her cousin and in the evenings she would listen to the current state of the Ministry from her Uncle's mouth. As much as she enjoyed her time with her family, she was already growing tired of them and wished she was back at Hogwarts teaching. The mundane repetition of her holidays was interrupted when an unfamiliar owl delivered her a letter. Her heart pounded hard as she thought it may have been a response from Severus but the neat writing of her name on the front of envelope bore no resemblance to that which used to critique her potions essays. She broke open the seal and read the parchment held inside.

Lyra Lestrange,

I hope this letter finds you well. It has been a long time since your name has crossed my lips but over the past few days I have been reminiscing with our old friends from Durmstrang as we ran into each other in London. I recalled that you may still reside here with your family and I thought it would be would be appropriate for us to have a gathering and catch up.

From your old friend,

Gustav Novak

Lyra reread the letter a few times as memories of Durmstrang filled her head. It wasn't something that crossed her mind in recent times despite her spending four years of her life there. Lyra had distanced herself from the girl that embraced the Dark Arts and revelled in the infamy of having Death Eaters for parents. She recalled the friends which she spent her days with, the trouble that they would get up to and how she couldn't even say goodbye to them, neither in person or by note. Each letter she had received from them questioning why she had done what she had done was left unanswered so she was surprised that they were reaching out. Maybe this was her opportunity to reconnect with some pure bloods and gain some favour from her caregivers.

"Who's that from?" Narcissa asked, unfamiliar with the owl that was pecking at Lyra's fingers.

"Gustav, from Durmstrang," she said, passing the note to her Aunt, "He said that he's in London with a few of our old friends and wants to catch up."

"You should invite them, Lyra," her Aunt encouraged, "They can all stay here for the night."

"I'll write them back," she said as she headed to her room with the owl perched happily on her hand.

Gus,

Your letter was a pleasant surprise. I am currently at my Aunt and Uncle's house and they have offered to host you and whoever you may be with when you would like. I am available to meet up until January 4th. If you would prefer we can meet somewhere more public.

Lyra

She attached the letter to the owl's leg and allowed the bird to find its way back to Gustav. Lyra wondered which of her friends would she be meeting and how much they would've changed over the six years that had passed since her expulsion. She didn't sit with her thoughts very long; instead she got along with her day though only a few hours passed before she received a reply from Gustav.

Lyra,

I appreciate the quick response. The gang were thinking New Years Eve would be appropriate, maybe we could bring in the New Year with a bit of excitement at the famous Malfoy Manor. I've invited Anneli, she's back in Switzerland working at her parent's shop at the moment. Syrin and I ran into Ilya and Feliks in Diagon Alley. It's curious how mudbloods intermix so readily in public. We had a drink at the Leaky Cauldron which is a bit of a dump, I don't know how you do it.

Let me know specifics when you can,

Gus

"A letter for Lyra?" Lucius observed.

"She's been in contact with her old Durmstrang friends," Narcissa said. She squeezed Lucius' leg and gave him a meaningful look. "I invited them to come stay."

"They're thinking of celebrating New Years with us," Lyra explained, "Is that ok?"

"That sounds wonderful," Narcissa said, beaming.

"Do you reckon you could connect us to the International Floo Powder Network?" Lyra asked her Uncle.

"Of course," he said.

"I'll let them know," she said, "Say, 7pm for dinner?"

Her Aunt and Uncle agreed with that Lyra sent off a reply.

The next two days seemed to drag on a bit as Lyra awaited the arrival of her old friends. She felt as though as her mind wasn't present as she entertained her cousin, instead she thought of her old friends and Severus. She was disappointed that she hadn't heard a reply back from her male companion but it was probably best whilst she was under the watchful eye of her Aunt and Uncle.

December 31st finally arrived and Lyra she spent two hours getting ready, ensuring she looked perfect and well-presented when her friends finally came. Narcissa admired the effort her niece had put into her appearance, commenting, "Why don't you dress up like this every day? You'd find a husband in no time."

Ignoring her Aunt's comments, Lyra waited in the living room with a book in hand at 6pm. Half past rolled around and green flames appeared in the fireplace as a tall, handsome man appeared. He shook off the dust from his tailored suit and stepped out, giving Lyra a smile as he tousled his brunette locks. He turned in expectation of his partner who arrived in the same fashion. A stunning woman in a tight fitting dress took the man's hand as she exited the fireplace.

"Lyra Lestrange," said the woman as she approached the darker haired witch. Lyra pulled her into a warm embrace, pecking her on the cheek.

"Syrin," she said, "You look drop dead gorgeous."

The gentleman took Lyra's hand as she parted, giving her a soft kiss on the hand. "Thank you for having us, Lyra."

"My pleasure, Gustav," she said.

Their greetings were interrupted by another burst of flames and an imposing man emerged from the flames. His hard features softened as he smiled at the sight of his friends. He approached Lyra, giving her a big squeeze, easily lifting her up as he did so. "Hello, old comrade," he said.

Lyra smiled at his greeting, "Hello, Ilya."

Ilya's appearance was followed by a man of a significantly smaller stature who Lyra recognised as Feliks. The five of them caught up briefly before they were joined by their sixth and final member of their squad, Anneli. Lyra lead her group of friends to the dining room, introducing them to her Aunt, Uncle and cousin. They dined together, sharing tales of what they had been up to since finishing school. Syrin was a Quidditch player for the Karasjok Kites with the potential to play for the International team for Norway. From what Lyra could tell she was dating Gustav who had moved to Norway to be closer to her whilst he was reporting for The Wizarding Post. Gustav wasn't the only one who relocated from his family, Feliks now resided in Russia with Ilya, both of them working for the Ministry of Magic over there. As for Anneli, she seemed to be pining for Ilya but remained in Switzerland learning to take over her parents' curse breaking business.

"And what about you, Lyra?" Gustav asked.

"I was a Trainee Healer but I took a break from my studies and am teaching at Hogwarts," she said before taking a bite of her meal.

Ilya's eyebrows raised in amusement, "Hogwarts? You're educating mudbloods? If wanna teach, why not teach at Durmstrang? Why pass on knowledge to those who don't deserve it?"

"I don't think Karkaroff would be particularly welcoming towards me," she smiled.

An awkward silence hung in the air as they recalled the reason for Lyra's expulsion. "Shit," Gustav said, "I forgot about that."

"Why didn't you write back to us?" Anneli asked.

She looked up at Lucius and Narcissa who nodded at her glance, encouraging her to tell the truth. "I was about to go to Azkaban for what I did," Lyra replied, "I couldn't write to you in case it was incriminating. They could've intercepted our owls."

"Well, we're here now," Gustav said positively.

The chatter continued over dinner, eventually they moved off into the living room where they had initially arrived for drinks. Lyra' family dismissed themselves, allowing the group to reconnect over expensive bottles of wine. They sat and reminisced over the trouble they would get up to and discussed the fates of the teachers they had shared. Lyra watched on as they spoke, observing her old friends and their interactions.

Anneli's eyes seemed to linger longingly on Ilya but subtle gestures between him and Feliks implied that the two may in fact be a couple. Lyra wished to press further on the matter but she was unsure as to whether it was public knowledge or a secret so for the meantime she kept it under wraps. Syrin and Gustav seemed completely smitten with one another. As Syrin drank her wine, Lyra noticed something reflect off her hand and she smirked.

Lyra brought attention to it, her mouth opened in fake shock and asked, "What is that?"

Syrin smiled brightly as though she had been baiting the question all night. "Oh, this?" she asked casually, holding her hand out for the girls to assess. "Gus proposed."

"Congratulations!" Anneli squealed. She had always been a sucker for romance.

"We're getting married next year," Syrin said, "You're all invited."

Anneli probed Syrin on details of how Gustav proposed and Lyra feigned interest. As the drinks flowed the newly engaged couple seemed to become more comfortable to display their affection which was beginning to make the others uncomfortable. Lyra suggested they retire to their room which they happily accepted. Lyra called an elf to escort them to their room and they followed with their hands intertwined with one another.

When midnight hit the four hugged, exchanging kisses on the cheek with one another.

Lyra noticed Anneli glance over at Ilya, her feelings were obvious but Lyra had noticed a few small gestures that suggested that Ilya may not have been batting for the same team. They were discrete of course, but there were subtle hints that Ilya and Feliks may be together. Lyra hoped to interrogate them but she doubted the opportunity would come up. As the drinks flowed Syrin and Gustav's PDA became more prominent, Lyra offered to show them to their room which they accepted graciously. Upon her return Lyra noticed Anneli shamelessly attempt to flirt with an uncomfortable Ilya whilst Feliks watched amused.

As it neared midnight, the four remaining headed outside. Lyra had gone out with her Aunt and Uncle to pick out the entertainment for the night. The four of them stood in the cold, waiting for it to tick over to the New Year. When it came an assortment of fireworks were released into the sky. The enchanted sparks lit up the sky, dancing against the dark backdrop. The show went on for 10 minutes and ended with the number 1991 written in the night's sky. The old friends exchanged hugs and kisses on the cheek, wishing one another a wonderful new year. Anneli got a bit too frisky with Ilya as she felt the alcohol begin to alter her reality. Feliks and Lyra coaxed her off of him as she slurred and cried over the rejection. The three of them walked her to her room for the night, tucking her in.

Once they had put her to bed, the two wizards decided it was about time to sleep as well. Lyra showed them the bathroom they could use and lead them into their bedroom.

"I'm assuming you two would like to share?" Lyra said.

The two of them had a panicked expression, Ilya defensively said, "What do you mean?"

"You two are together," she said, "I don't think anyone else picked up on it."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said firmly.

Feliks gently touched his partner's arm, coaxing him down. He looked at Lyra wearing a worried expression. "You can't tell anyone. You know how it is in Russia."

"I understand," she said, hugging them both. As she separated from Ilya she commented, "Poor Anneli, she's going to be heartbroken."

Feliks laughed, "I don't know how she hasn't taken the hint."

"She's always been a bit clueless," Lyra said, "It's nice though, you two, Syrin and Gus. I'm glad that you guys are all happy."

"How about you, Lyra?" Feliks asked.

She sighed, "It's a bit complicated at the moment. The man I'm casually seeing is a half-blood."

"You must end it," Ilya said.

Feliks rolled his eyes at his partner, "I don't think we're in the position to be critiquing your love life. We're fucking gay. Some things you just can't help but I understand duty."

Lyra nodded sadly, feeling as though she hadn't yet found the answer for her predicament. Feliks gave her another hug and whispered, "Things will work out."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten – Back To Hogwarts**

On New Year's Day Lyra shared breakfast with her old friends and they made promises that they would remain in contact in the months to come. They parted ways, all of them leaving via the Floo Network. Their visit had spurred on Narcissa's encouragement towards finding a husband with a strong suggestion that Ilya would be great for her. He was a strong, well mannered man from an affluent family with a job similar to her Uncle's, if they ended up together she wouldn't have to a work a day in her life much like Narcissa. Lyra was amused at her Aunt's suggestion knowing that Ilya was in fact with Feliks and that she was more career driven.

The remaining four days of Lyra's holidays went by quickly and without incident. She still hadn't heard back from Severus which at that point in time was more unnerving than disappointing. What if he just wanted to end it all and they would just lose the friendship they had built over the past four months? Lyra didn't allow herself to dwell on these negative thoughts, instead she focused on spending time with her family, even listening to the rubbish her Uncle spouted about recent rumours.

When the time finally came for her departure Draco began to weep. His display of emotions was scolded by his parents, "Men that are pure simply do not cry." Draco settled as Lyra gave him a tight hug and a kiss with promises that she would come back soon and write to him whenever it was possible.

Hogwarts was as empty as Lyra had left it. She expected for some of the students to have returned by now with the majority arriving back over the weekend but she was incorrect. She made her way back to her classroom with the want to prepare for the classes to come. As she walked around the Serpentine corridor she bumped into the Potions Master.

"Ah, Severus," she said, "How has your holidays been?"

"Dull," he said plainly. "Would you like me to help you carry your things?"

"Sure," she replied.

The two walked around, passing by a few students on the way. She suspected this was his reasoning behind the offer but she still found it strange that she needed to justify her public appearances with Severus. They arrived at her classroom and entered, going up the stairs to her office. Severus set her suitcase down and she leaned on her desk, watching on.

"So," she said rather dramatically. Severus' brows rose, prompting her to continue. "What's the plan?"

"The plan?"

"The plan," she emphasised. "Do you want me or not, Severus?"

"More than you know," he said.

"Was I right?" she asked, her tongue darting out from between her lips.

He smirked, "Why don't you tell me?" He approached her and grabbed her hand, sliding it to the front of pants. She felt his erection straining against the material. Her stomach filled with warmth as she knew that she was the one responsible for his arousal.

Lyra pulled out her wand, directing it at the door and locking it. Severus leaned over the witch who was sitting on her desk and kissed her. Lyra returned the kiss with the same passion and ferocity that her partner was portraying. She melted into his embrace as his hands began fidgeting with her clothing, desperate to undress her.

"Are you going to fuck me over my own desk?" she asked.

"It's payback for making me think about fucking you every night that's passed," he said as he pulled her top off. "Now every time you're grading papers you can think of me bringing you to orgasm."

Severus kissed the newly revealed skin which was covered in goosebumps as it was exposed to the cold air in her office. Lyra's eyes drifted closed as she savoured his touch, his mouth exploring the tops of her breasts whilst his hands sat on her waist. One hand moved delicately up her back and undid the clasp of her bra, freeing her breasts. Her erect nipples were warmed by the heat of his mouth, his tongue and teeth teasing one whilst the other was fondled by his hand.

Severus attempted to undo her pants with the free one but required two. He pulled both her pants and underwear off in one simple movement. Lyra was at the mercy of her old Potions Professor as she found herself completely exposed whilst he was still dressed. The thought aroused her slightly which he discovered as he removed himself from his kisses and dipped his fingers between her folds. Severus smirked as she watched her blush from the revelation that she was already completely soaked.

Severus knelt down, wanting to taste the wanton witch. Lyra moaned as his head buried itself between her legs, his tongue lapping up her arousal. It darted in and out briefly before moving up and licking around her clitoris. Lyra leaned back, finding it difficult to hold her body up. She surrendered to his touch. Severus' fingers found their way inside her and began to pump in and out, driving the young witch insane. He smirked in amusement against her sex, continuing to tongue her clitoris.

It felt like she was on fire, the heat spreading from her pussy all the way through her body. The sensations just got more intense as time went on. Her hips edged closer towards him, arching her back off the table, desperate for more. Severus moved his fingers in and out of her at a faster and steadier tempo triggering her unravelling. Lyra unconsciously bucked her hips back against his face and fingers to drive herself closer to her orgasm.

With a loud moan, Lyra fell apart at the work of his hands and mouth. Her body twitched slightly as she came down. Severus stood up and admired the aftermath of her orgasm, her beauty as she was splayed out on her desk. A few moments passed before she regained her senses and sat up on her desk.

"Severus Snape on his knees for a witch," she teased.

"Don't tease me," he said, "Or I'll be relentless."

"How so?" she said, her hand drifted towards his unattended erection.

Wordlessly, Severus undid his trousers, unleashing his cock that had been waiting for Lyra. He pushed her legs back open and pressed it into her with one swift movement. He fucked her hard, ignoring her wants and instead focusing on the way she felt around him. Lyra quickly fell back, gripping the desk above her head as he drilled her into it. She had been surprised at his entrance but the dominance he asserted over her was welcomed as she found herself getting close to another orgasm. Severus reached down and pinched her nipples, enjoying how she looked as she writhed underneath him.

Lyra's eyes were squeezed tight as she became overwhelmed with the simultaneous stimulation of her nipples and her pussy. She felt her pussy tighten, gripping desperately onto Severus' cock as it rhythmically moved in and out. Her orgasm came once again and the pulsating sensation drove Severus to come deeply inside of her.

He lingered inside her for a moment, enjoying the feel of her around him and the look of bliss on Lyra's face. He pulled out, tucking his manhood away and zipped up his pants which stirred the witch from her peace. "I'll see you at the meeting," he said as he showed himself out.

The woman shook her head at her lover's remark as he left her naked on her desk with his semen spilling out of her. She got up and went through her discarded clothes looking for her wand. She found it on the floor and cleaned up the mess Severus had left her with. Lyra showered once she had finished, preparing to look somewhat decent for the staff meeting that had been scheduled for that evening.

On her way out Lyra ran into Septima Vector whose classroom resided next to hers. She hoped that the Arithmancer hadn't heard through the walls of what occurred just moments before but their conversation didn't show any indication that she did. They talked of what occurred over their break, Septima detailing her participation in the latest research into the magical properties of prime numbers. Lyra was thankful when they finally arrived at the staff room, taking a seat between Minerva and Severus.

The staff meetings held at Hogwarts tended to be more casual in nature, the staff members listening as the Headmaster detailed the plans for the year before carrying on merrily drinking and catching up with one another. This meeting seemed to be a bit more serious in nature as Madam Pomfrey was whispering in Dumbledore's ear as they awaited for the remainder if the teachers. Once they had arrived, Albus stood to address the teachers.

"Welcome back," he said with a smile, "I hope you all are well rested and ready to get back into teaching. We've received a draft timetable for both the OWLs and NEWTs that will take place in June so please bare this in mind. I hope our students will be well prepared for what is to come."

"Now, on a more serious matter, Madam Pomfrey has informed me that there have been a few cases of Psyrot in the wizarding community over the past few weeks so we must be prepared and vigilant as students may be affected. I will let Madam Pomfrey explain."

"Thank you, Headmaster," Poppy said before taking the stage. "Psyrot is an extremely contagious disease that can result in death. Thankfully it is easily managed by the standard cold treatment, Pepper-Up, during its initial stages. You must look out for the following symptoms."

Poppy raised her wand and a blackboard appeared, detailing the symptoms of Psyrot. "They have been split into three different stages. Stage One is when it is most contagious and is spread through the exchange of mucus so please prevent students from kissing and ensure proper hygiene is used when sneezing and coughing. Tiredness, nausea and irritability are all also symptoms of the disease. Stage Two may cause the affected to have diarrhoea, vomiting and sensitivity to light. They may also be confused and or pass out."

"Finally there is Stage Three, which I hope we will not see as these symptoms are untreatable and there is no cure for it. These symptoms include cold shivers, pale skin, headaches, rash and convulsions. I have already sent out information sheets to all parents and hopefully there will be no one bringing it into the school but we can only hope. I ask you all to stay aware of the condition of your students and send them to me if you see any sign that a student may even be the slightest bit sick. Also, Severus, Lyra, could you two please assist me with preparing some pepper up and sleeping draught? I don't want to run out."

Lyra nodded with a genuine look of concern, she spotted Severus' head nod curtly from the side of her vision. Once they had finished eating the two of them headed down to the dungeons in order to start preparing.

"Have you heard of Psyrot before?" Severus asked.

"Yeah," she said, her face strained as she thought back. "It was back in the healing history classes, I don't think a case has popped up since the 1890's and back then it was pretty debilitating. If you can stop it early on its fine but a lot of people who got to the second or third stage were left to die until they found that the sleeping draught actually helps the body recover during second stage. From memory kids and the elderly didn't usually develop past the first stage so the people most at risk are the older students and you and me. But the whole case was pretty well documented because it held likeness to the muggle Spanish flu which to only seemed to kill those with a well working immune system. It probably has something to do with the body's reaction to the disease."

"Any idea what causes it?"

"Honestly, it could be anything," she said, pondering for a moment. "I mean it'd have to be something small enough to not be noticed when you sneeze. It could be a bacterium or virus which denatures with the increase of temperature when you take the pepper up, much like the common cold but it could also be a parasite that was small and when it fully matures you can't kill it as easily."

"You'd be good at research," he commented, "Have you ever thought about pursuing it further?"

"Yeah," she said with a half frown, "It's just a matter of finding someone in research to take me on as an apprentice. My last name has been a major struggle, it deters anyone within the UK from taking me on, I'm guessing because they think I'll use the Dark Arts and create some fucked up disease and release it onto the world but yeah, I'm really interested in developing cures for diseases and curses."

"Why don't you just change your last name?"

"I did try once but someone ruined that," she laughed, "I want to change its reputation. I don't want people to think of what my parents did but instead what progress I can bring to the healing world. If that doesn't work then I suppose I'll be rid of it when I finally get married."

"Did Lucius speak to you about what happened?"

Lyra sighed, "Yeah, he did. He gave me a lecture about my obligations as a Lestrange, that I shouldn't be messing around with you and so on, which was obviously a very effective talk." Lyra smirked at her companion but he didn't seem amused by her comment "They seemed to back off from the topic of marriage when some of my old friends from Durmstrang came over."

"Durmstrang?" His eyebrows rose questioningly.

"Yeah, they were in the neighbourhood so they came around on New Year's," she said, "Don't worry, we didn't go around using the Dark Arts and killing every muggle in sight."

Lyra's humour seemed to be lost on Severus because he was more concerned at the prospect of losing what he had with her. It would be so easy for her to find a more appropriate man, both in age and heritage, to be with as she had those connections to Durmstrang. Why was she wasting her time with him? Was it merely because they were at Hogwarts and he was there? A witch that was as talented and gorgeous as Lyra wouldn't settle for a man like Severus. He thought that he may as well enjoy the time that he had with her and not dwell on the future too much.

Their conversation died out after Lyra's comment, she sensed that Severus just wasn't in the right mindset for jokes. When the two finally arrived at the potions classroom the pair set off to work, brewing large batches of Pepper Up and Sleeping Draught. Severus instructed Lyra on how to properly translate the recipe to a bigger size as merely multiplying the ingredients wouldn't work.

"I never knew you'd have to add stabilising ingredients if you wanted to increase the quantity drastically," she said, "I usually work with small batches."

"Usually we don't teach it because the shelf life of a potion is usually rather small so making such a big batch is only useful for commercial purposes," Severus explained.

"That's really interesting," she said as she stirred her potion. "I'd love to do some more training with a Potioneer. It'd be so useful with healing and creating antidotes."

"I can teach you, if you wish," he replied.

"I'll repay you in sex," she laughed.

"Seems like a fair deal," he smirked.

The hours it took to brew the potions seemed to tick by so quickly. It was past midnight by the time the two had finished brewing, then they had to bottle it all which took another hour despite having magic on their side. Lyra seemed to be struggling to keep her eyes open.

"You should go to bed," Severus suggested, "I can finish this up myself."

"I don't know if I can even make it to my room," she yawned.

"I know you're just trying to get in my bed," he said.

"Is it working?" she asked, sliding the sleeve of her dress down.

"I can't resist your shoulders," he said in a bored tone.

"No man can," she smiled, "How about you fuck me to sleep again?"

"Fine," he said, "But you need to help me clean up before then."

Severus had never seen a witch clean so quickly and efficiently all with a wave of her wand. Lyra's magic would rival a house elf's. The bottles were neatly aligned, the cauldrons were scrubbed clean and the ingredients used packed away nicely. If only his students had the ability to clean up as thoroughly after themselves.

"Where'd you learn how to do that?" he asked.

"As a pureblood witch," Lyra started mocking her Aunt's tone, "It is my duty to be a well trained wife, adept at cooking and cleaning. Now I know, you may be thinking, shouldn't my husband have a house elf, well yes but it is still important to learn the art of homemaking."

"Is that what Narcissa taught you?"

"Of course," she said as the pair exited the room. "Could imagine my mother passing that on to me? No, I think she'd be encouraging me to follow the Dark Lord and not worrying about marriage. I know she never wanted to get married, not even have me." They walked a short distance to his office and Lyra pushed the door open.

Severus sympathised with the girl, for he also knew what it was like to have parents that seemed to not have wanted you. He had felt as though he was a mistake, he suffered abuse at the hands of his father and much like Lyra struggled with the burden of his family name. Perhaps this was why he felt such a strong connection to Lyra, he felt as though she would be able to understand him. Though their lives seemed vastly different on the surface there were threads beneath that connected them.

"At least your parents love you," he said, the words had just slipped out.

Lyra found his statement saddening, understanding the implication behind his words that he may have not been loved fully by his parents. She felt curiousity overwhelm her as she found a question escaping her lips. "How about your parents?" Lyra cringed when she realised she had asked, Severus' face remained blank. "I'm sorry, I'm not entitled to know, you don't have to share anything you don't feel comfortable with."

"My mother died," he explained, "At the hands of my father. It happened while I was at school, during my sixth year. They used to fight a lot, I'm assuming it escalated when I wasn't there and she wound up dead. He was arrested and is now in prison."

"I'm sorry, Sev," she said, giving him a sympathetic look and squeeze on the shoulder.

"I didn't tell you so you could pity me," he snapped, "I'm not some puppy you can take care of, Lily." Lyra's hand drifted away as Severus realised what he said. "You can go."

"Sev-"

"Get out!" he yelled.

Lyra obeyed, not wishing to fight him or force the issue. It was obvious to her that she inadvertently touched upon a nerve, revealing issues that had been buried underneath the surface for a long time. She understood that he would require space to process what happened but what she didn't understand was why she was crying.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven – Birthday Present**

Lyra hadn't seen Severus since the incident that transpired days ago. The students had returned, classes had resumed, Poppy had received the potions but there was no sight of the Potions Master. From what she knew he was still taking his classes but it seemed as though he had remained in his office, not wishing to interact with any of the staff. They reassured her, explaining that it wasn't unusual for Severus' appearance to be sparse, particularly as it neared his birthday. He usually didn't want a fuss so he would stay clear of the staff room for the week until they had forgotten.

Lyra was much more daring than her colleagues. She figured that about a week was enough to get over what had happened and if not she would apologise even more profusely. After classes, armed with a bottle of wine and a bunch of Slytherin-esque cupcakes that Narcissa had sent she headed down to the Dungeons. She knocked on the door and he answered she revealed the box of cupcakes, shouting "Happy Birthday!". Severus attempted to slam the door shut in her face but she held it ajar with her foot which may have not been the wisest decision. Lyra forced her way into his office and placed her gifts on his desk.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"It's your birthday," she smiled, "You can't expect to spend it alone."

"That's exactly what I was expecting," he grumbled.

"Well I'm throwing you a party," she said, "Just you and me."

"How thrilling," he replied.

"I can make it a whole lot more thrilling if you'd like," she teased, "I do have another present that you can unwrap."

"Oh really?" he asked amused.

Lyra's eyes looked lustfully at the older man, her fingers delicately pulled her shirt open slightly revealing her cleavage. "I did say you'd have to unwrap it," she smirked playfully at her lover.

He approached her and kissed her, his hands tugged away her clothing and his mind forgot everything that had been weighing on him, instead he focused on the witch in front of him. Lyra's hands undid his clothing and he breathed against her lips, "I didn't know I was your present too." She smiled and continued to disrobe him as he did her.

Severus smiled as he revealed her undergarments, she was wearing a matching green satin set with a black lace trim. "For me?" he asked.

"Only for you," she said as she reengaged the kiss.

He parted, wanting to make a comment, "It's almost as though you came down here expecting to get fucked."

"I was hoping you'd want me still," she said.

"What wizard could deny you?" he asked, his lips pressed into her neck.

"None," she smirked, "But I only want you."

Severus felt his heart skip a beat at her words. She could have him wrapped around his finger so easily by her comments. He ignored his heart and followed his cock which was now swollen at the prospect of shagging the woman who stood in front of him. He picked up Lyra by her thighs and placed her on his desk. She could feel his bulge through the thin layers of fabric that separated their sex. Lyra's eyes drifted close as Severus ravished her body. He was focused on the way her skin felt against his, how her nipples stiffened through the thin, silky material of her bra and the moans that escaped from her lips.

Lyra's legs were still wrapped around his waist. Her body would react to his touch by her hips bucking up into his. She could feel how hard he was and she wanted to feel his length inside of her. He pushed her bra down and began teasing her nipples the way he knew she liked. Lyra knew that her knickers were getting damp and her hips just bucked more frequently into the air.

"Severus," she moaned, "Stop teasing and put your cock in me, please."

"My pleasure," he said as he pulled his cock out and pushed her panties to the side. He pressed his cock against her entrance and couldn't resist sliding in as she was already wet. He groaned as he slid his length in, he left it there continuing to appreciate the witch's body who lay in front of him. He teased her nipples with his fingers, watching as her hips impulsively rocked onto his cock.

Lyra felt as though she was beginning to develop a love-hate relationship with the sex she had with Severus. She was supposed to be the one in control, the one teasing him but every time he managed to turn the tables and now she was the one vulnerable, again underneath him on a desk with him controlling every movement. He toyed with her, she looked up at the man who seemed to revel in the witch's want and distress. She tried to take control, grasping at the sides of the desk to gain leverage so she could fuck herself back onto his cock but the action was more degrading than fulfilling but she found herself aroused all the same.

Severus was amused that his partner seemed to lack the patience to wait for him to shag her but it was so much more enjoyable to watch Lyra focus on her pleasure and impale herself onto his cock. She began to swear, her breathing became laboured and Severus merely stepped away, watching her hump the air for friction. She looked as though she were about to cry, had she wanted her orgasm that badly?

"I thought you were my gift," he said, "You're much too greedy."

"Severus," she breathed, "I need you."

"Flip over," he demanded.

Lyra did so, she slid until her feet reached the floor, stood up and bent over the desk. Severus slid her panties off, tucking the pair into his pant's pocket. He teased her sex a bit, one finger slid into her and slid down touching her clit before moving up and touching her asshole. He noticed her tense up slightly as he reached it.

"Has anyone been in here?" he asked.

"No," she said, noticing that her breathing had gotten heavy as he teased it slightly.

"Is that because you don't want to or?"

"I mean I've tried but it hurt a lot so I just haven't tried again," she said, "I wanted to save it for someone special or a least someone who knew what they were doing."

"Can I play with it?" he enquired, "I'll make sure it feels good for you and if you don't like it we don't have to do it again."

Lyra felt as though she could trust him so she nodded. A digit dipped back into her folds, this one thicker than the last, she assumed it was his thumb, and it gathered the lubrication that pooled between her legs. His thumb then rested on her tight star and his cock slid back into her pussy. He began to thrust in and out, her body still held tension but began to relax as she gave into the feelings of pleasure he was eliciting. As she relaxed Severus pressed his thumb slowly into her asshole, he was met with resistance, but he was patient allowing the hole to slowly swallow his thumb.

Lyra was surprised that instead of pain in her rear as she had felt in times prior that it felt good. The only she could describe the way it made her feel was full, it was as though his thumb had made her pussy tighter, clinging harder onto Severus' cock as it moved in and out. His movements were hypnotic, steady in time, slowly driving her over the edge to her orgasm. Severus' thumb moved, tickling the nerves in her inner walls, pressing down and feeling his cock. The stimulation was arousing, she felt herself get closer and closer.

She felt so tight. Severus began to groan, wanting to come but desperate to maintain the pace so he wouldn't blow his load so quickly. Her body was magnificent, quickly accommodating his thumb in her ass, he couldn't wait until he could feel it around his cock. The thought alone was enough to make him want to come but he held out. It wasn't until he felt her walls pulsating around him and heard a loud moan of pleasure he finally felt the tension in his balls find release.

Severus slowly pulled his thumb out and found his seat on his usual chair. He watched Lyra as she slowly regained her senses, the witch sat up, tucking away her breasts into her bra.

"Now you're going to be the one thinking about fucking me while you grade your papers," she said amused as she looked over at Severus who was sitting with his shirt off.

"I suppose," he said, "But it was worth it."

She smiled, "Can I have my underwear back?"

Severus pulled the underwear out of his pocket and held it up in front of himself, keeping it close. "I thought they were my present?"

She giggled, "Ok, keep them then."

"Let's have a bath together," he suggested.

"I've wanted to try it out since I saw it," she grinned.

The two gathered their discarded clothes and headed through his quarters into the bathroom. He ran the bath as Lyra poured them each a glass of wine from the bottle of wine she had gifted. Once it had filled with bubbles and colours the two slipped in and began to relax. Lyra drained her glass and urged Severus to move so he sat in her lap. He felt as though it was pretty emasculating but that feeling washed away as her fingers worked their way around his back.

"Are you ok, Severus?" she asked.

He sighed, knowing that she was referring to the other night.

"I'm not demanding to know details," she said as she worked out a knot. "I'm just concerned because you got pretty upset and I know you're not one to lose your temper. I'm just worried about you."

Severus wanted to push her away in that moment, to get up and leave or to cast her out like he did but he sat with the feeling and relaxed into it. "You know how when I saw you having that nightmare, you asked me if I could cure guilt," he said, "I wish I could because I live with it every day and I feel like it doesn't get any easier. I blame myself for a lot of things that happened in the past." Lyra remained silent, listening to his words and letting her hands move to relax him.

"I wasn't there when my mother died," he continued. "I was at Hogwarts when it happened. If I wasn't then I could've saved her. I still live there, the place I grew up and I have to face that when I'm there. I live in the place she died at the hands of my father and I wasn't there to protect her."

"I couldn't protect Lily either," at this Lyra held him. Her arms wrapped around him and comforted him. Severus cried, at first it was just tears but they became gut-wrenching sobs and Lyra just sat and held him as he cried. She was willing to stay there and hold him for as long as he needed.

An hour passed before Severus felt confident to leave Lyra's embrace. She stayed silent and began wash his body before moving on to his hair. The way her fingers moved felt as though she worked out all the stress and thoughts that had been weighing on him. He felt so safe and peaceful with her, how could he not fall in love with her? She quickly washed herself and the pair got out of the bath and headed to his bed.

"Do you want me to stay with you for the night?" she asked.

It was a difficult thing for him to admit but he felt as though he could trust her. He nodded in agreement and the witch crawled into bed with him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve – Discoveries**

Deep in the dungeons in the Head of Slytherin's living quarters a young witch stirred in her sleep, her movement woke up the wizard whose arms were wrapped around her. The man was confused by the naked warmth that lay against his body. After a few blinks he registered that the tangled mess of black hair and sleeping figure belonged to none other than his colleague, Lyra Lestrange.

Severus eyes drifted shut; his expression was strained as his thoughts drifted onto the night prior. He had spent his birthday bedding the young witch that slept against him then he was crying in her arms. As he recalled what he had said his first instinct was to get out of that bed, replace his and her clothes and pretend that nothing had happened. For a moment he even considered obliviating her, how could he face her each day knowing that she knew some of his deepest secrets?

As soon as the thought passed through his mind his heart dismissed it. It was telling him he could trust her, that it was ok to open up to her. He felt at peace as he felt her curled up next to him, he allowed his arms to remain holding her. The warmth that she radiated made him reluctant to leave his bed. He closed his eyes and focused on the feeling, not knowing how long this would last.

Severus' thoughts weren't allowed to wander too far as Lyra soon found herself awake too. She smiled fondly as she rolled over and faced him. "Morning," she hummed her hand rested on his chest. "Have you been up long?"

He shook his head no. "Classes will start in two hours," he said.

She nodded in acknowledgement. "Did you sleep well?"

Their conversation made Severus feel as though he had woken up in an alternate reality, that Lyra was his wife and that she would soon be rolling out of bed to make them breakfast. The thought warmed his heart but he knew it wasn't a possibility. He simply nodded in response to her question.

The responses he had given caused Lyra to feel concern. "Sev," she said, her hand reached up and stroked his cheek. "Everything you told me last night I will never breathe a word of to anyone. You can trust me."

"What do you feel guilty about?" he asked.

Lyra paused for a moment, questioning whether or not she should divulge the truth or not. As a gesture of good faith she decided to do so. "A lot of things," she frowned, her hand retreated to her side as she began to explain. "I guess the guilt started when Albus made me work in the Hospital Wing and I had to treat that girl that I almost killed. While I was there I could see that I could put my talents to better use so I tried which is how I got into healing, I thought it could be my way of redeeming myself for all I had done but I think it fucked me even more. When I started at St. Mungo's my first rotation as a Trainee Healer was in the ward for those with permanent spell damage and I saw the Longbottom couple that I tortured along with my parents and Uncle Rab and Barty. I saw their son visit and he would've been Draco's age. I couldn't sleep. I kept dreaming of them screaming and losing their minds. I felt so guilty for inflicting that on them."

"You were there?" he asked.

"Yeah," she sighed as she began to recount, "I had just gotten back from my first year from Durmstrang. My parents were upset that the Dark Lord had fallen and they knew that there were Aurors tracking down his whereabouts so they captured the Longbottom couple. Mum wanted to teach me how to use the Cruciatus Curse properly so they all showed me and gave me pointers on how to do it effectively to cause the most pain. It went on for hours until they were completely incoherent. Eventually my parents were captured and you know the rest."

"Did you actually torture Karkaroff?" he questioned. Lyra nodded reluctantly, not wanting to admit the cruelty of what she did to the reformed Death Eater that lay with her. His curiousity got the better of him as he asked, "Why did you do it?"

"I was 13, Sev, first day of my third year at school and Karkaroff is introduced as the new Headmaster. I had heard his name mentioned by Uncle Lucius and my parents when I had visited them. Whatever he had done made them angry but they believed that the Dark Lord would return and impart justice. I later asked my Uncle directly what he had done and he told me that in exchange for the names of several Death Eaters he was allowed to walk free. I was so angry that he was living in comfort whilst my parents rotted in Azkaban. I didn't believe that the Dark Lord would return so I decided to give my own justice."

"I spent months plotting my revenge. I didn't want to kill him, no, I wanted him to suffer and I had learnt from the best on how to torture people. I thought it was fitting that I used the skills they had been imprisoned for as a method to carry out my revenge on their behalf. I snuck into his quarters while he slept and I placed a silencing barrier up so no one could hear him and another so we wouldn't be disturbed. I woke him using the Cruciatus Curse, you should've seen his face of terror on his face when he realised it was me. I used the Cruciatus Curse on him for hours and I revelled in it but I was only young, I didn't have enough magical energy to maintain my torture but I think it stopped him from going insane like the Longbottoms. It went on for about 12 hours before they found us."

"He was in hospital for only a week and during that time I went to trial. I had the best defence lawyer money could afford and a bulletproof defence. How could I, a child of 13 years, raised by Death Eaters, be responsible for my actions? I was a product of my environment and going to Durmstrang would reinforce the use of the Dark Arts so they gave me a slap on the wrist and sent me to Hogwarts. I think it worked to an extent, most witches and wizards involved in the Dark Arts during my year were pathetic anyway I just got caught up with showing off my skill and that's how I nearly killed that girl. I did feel bad for her to an extent and I think Albus exploited that which is how I ended up in Healing. Who knows where I would be now if he hadn't forced me to work in the Hospital Wing? I'd probably be out there trying to raise the Dark Lord back to power."

Lyra's description of events terrified Severus. It was evident that she was truly the daughter of Bellatrix and Rodopholus Lestrange. The thought of Lyra pursuing the Dark Arts further was disturbing. He knew that she was an extremely talented witch with a thirst for knowledge, he was thankful that it had been channelled into a more meaningful pursuit. He wondered where her loyalties would lie if the Dark Lord did return. "Do you think he'll come back?"

"It's been what, ten years this year?" she said, "I don't think so. I went and saw my mum on Christmas Day and she seems to still think so but I think it's just to maintain her sanity, not that there's much left. What do you think?"

"I have the same doubts," he replied, shaking his head, "Albus seems to think he will."

Lyra's hand drifted out and reached out for his left arm. Severus flinched at first but her fingers delicately traced the lines of his Dark Mark. "It's so faded," she said as she thought back to when she would touch her mother or father's tattoo. "You'll be one of the first to know."

Severus watched as she seemed lost in her thoughts, her fingers still stroking his tattoo. "Lyra," he said, bringing her back to the present. "We should get up, we have classes to teach."

She frowned, "Can't we just stay in bed."

"It's too suspicious if we both call in sick," he said.

"Can I get my panties back?" she asked with a hopeful look.

"I'm definitely keeping them," he said amused, "Better hurry back to your quarters if you want to wear any today."

She glared at him as she climbed out of bed and got dressed. He remained in bed and watched as she hid her naked body away from view. "I'll see you around," she said as she found her way out.

As Lyra reached the Grand Staircase to begin her ascension to the third floor she saw a concerned Professor McGonagall quickly stepping down.

"Oh, Lyra," she said, not missing a beat, "You best come with me, something serious has happened. I need to speak with Severus."

Lyra followed as they headed back to where she had just left. Minerva knocked on the door and Severus opened it immediately, allowing the two witches to enter his office.

"I have terrible news, Severus," Minerva said, "Marcus Flint had a seizure at breakfast this morning. Poppy thinks it's Psyrot. He's been placed in a potion-induced sleep for now but she think he'll have to go off to St. Mungo's."

"I'll contact his parents," Severus replied.

"I don't know how it went undetected," Minerva said.

"He probably got it when he was on break and it's just gone unnoticed," Lyra said, "I know Poppy listed all those symptoms but he might've just not had any until now."

Minerva shook her head, "In any case, we need to be more aware. We all need to keep a look out."

"Of course," Severus said.

Lyra remained silent as the two discussed the course of action. She completely tuned out, her head beginning to spin with thoughts. This was the first distinguishable case of Psyrot, with it would come many more. Students would begin to flood the Hospital Wing at the slightest sniffle which probably wasn't so bad but she knew that Severus and herself would have to keep up with potion requests. They had made around 100 bottles which was about a sixth of the school's population, if half the students thought they were sick then they'd run out rather quickly.

"Lyra," Severus said, bringing her attention back to the present, "We'll probably have to make more Pepper Up Potion."

"Yeah," she said, looking slightly dazed, "I was just thinking about that."

"We'll brew some more tonight," he informed her, "Wouldn't want to run out."

"Of course," she said, "I'll see you after dinner."

Lyra left with Minerva, Severus needed to write a quick letter to Marcus Flint's parents. The two made their way up silently, waving in and out of students and carefully following the staircases as they moved about. Lyra found herself alone with Minerva as the set they were on slowly moved.

"So, Lyra," Minerva began, "What were you doing at Severus' office so early?"

"Just wanted to check in on him before we had classes," Lyra lied, "I had a present for his birthday."

"But his birthday was yesterday," Minerva's eyes narrowed as she felt she had caught her. "You and Severus seem awfully close, particularly after the Founding Ball."

"I've known Severus since I was a kid," Lyra shrugged, "You know, cause my parents were Death Eaters, just like he was. My Uncle is a close friend of his, in fact he even came over for Christmas Dinner."

"It seems to be more than just that," Minerva said, "I think there's something going on between you two."

"Really?" Lyra's eyebrows raised in fake surprise. "News to me."

Lyra was thankful when the staircase finally connected to the landing of the third floor, she said a hurried goodbye, excusing herself from their conversation. Unfortunately for her, Lyra had ran out of time to change her clothes and her students were all lined up ready to enter her classroom. She reluctantly welcomed them all in and began her lesson.

It was surprisingly easy for Lyra to keep her composure, despite the fact that she didn't have any underwear on. After a while she didn't seem to notice, her thoughts were more preoccupied on the fact that no one had been paying attention to the content of her lessons. Had she become boring? To be fair everyone was still rather shaken from what they had seen at breakfast this morning. Lyra was over the constant gossiping half way through second period and threatened to deduct house points if they continued their disruption. This tactic seemed to work as they focused on the Hinkypunk she showed them and explained the methods of combating it.

Lyra had hoped to duck off during the break that she had between the second and third period but she saw that two students had stayed behind. Both were Slytherin boys on the Quidditch team who she recognised as Lucian Bole and Peregrine Derrick. Usually she'd be keen to answer questions from eager students but she knew that these two boys in particular had a tendency to cause trouble and weren't particularly engaged in her class. They approached her desk as the rest of the class were filing out.

"Professor Lestrange," Derrick addressed the teacher. She raised her eyebrows in acknowledgement so the boy continued, "We were wondering if you knew anything about Marcus? We were supposed to have Quidditch practice tonight."

Lyra sighed, "I recommend you speak with Professor Snape."

Derrick went to answer but he was interrupted by his friend. The blonde haired boy sneezed hard, not covering his mouth, and Lyra felt her face become wet with the boy's mucus. She wiped her face with a hand as she had no tissues at hand and glared up at the boy who was now shaking in his boots at the look his Professor was giving.

"Merlin's beard," she glowered, "Did your mother teach you any manners. Go to the hospital wing now."

The two boys darted off embarrassed that Bole had just sneezed into the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor's face. Lyra's untainted hand reached for her wand and went to clean up both her face and hand but she looked closer at her hand. She felt very subtle movement on her hand and as her face neared it she saw tiny dots in amongst the mucus as well as one small worm wriggling. From sight she knew that this parasite must've been the cause of Psyrot but she needed to research it further. She summoned a glass vial and scooped mucus that landed on her hand, attempting to coax the worm and its eggs into the tube. She cast a stasis charm on the contents, hoping that it would prevent the eggs from hatching and the worm from dying and she put it away in her office.

Lyra sat at her desk and began to brainstorm on a stray piece of paper the known workings of the disease. On one side of the right hand side of the paper she listed the known symptoms and then on the left she wrote the words parasite and mucus. The fact that it was spread through mucus ruled out the gastrointestinal tract, the symptoms didn't align with respiratory so the logical conclusion was the brain? She wasn't convinced but it made sense. Pepper up would increase the body's temperature and could potentially destroy the integrity of the worm's body but only up to a certain point which was why they couldn't cure it once it had reached the second or third stage. She wasn't entirely sure why Sleeping Draught worked during the second stage and it wouldn't in the third stage. She knew during the third stage it was the body's own immune response that would kill the host so maybe the Sleeping Draught prevented the development of the worms to cause destruction to trigger the immune response. There were still a lot of missing pieces of information but now that Lyra had a sample of the parasite responsible she was confident that she could develop a cure for it.

Lyra heard her next class enter and she rushed down to teach but her mind was still curious about the parasite she had found. Over her lunch break she made her way to the library and was pouring over books about parasites and worms, as well as recapping historically relevant illnesses. Madam Pince was reluctant to lend so many books out to the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, particularly as they weren't relevant to her subject but Lyra managed to convince her after laying on the charm which was a difficult feat as Lyra hadn't had the best reputation during her years of study.

Lyra placed aside the books, hoping that she would get to them over the weekend as her night would be taken up by brewing potions with Severus. The final two classes for the day seemed to drag on as looked forward to sharing her discovery with the Potions Master. Her eagerness to leave was not lost on her students as she was in fact the first to leave her classroom. She stopped by the staffroom to grab a quick bite for herself and Severus for dinner and she rushed down to the dungeons.

"I wasn't expecting you so early," Severus said as he answered the door.

"I have exciting news," she beamed, bouncing into his office.

Severus prompted her to go on, taking one of the plates she had set out for him.

"I have discovered the cause of Psyrot," she announced, "Of course, I still need to test my theory but I think I can work up a cure." Severus listened and ate as Lyra detailed her discovery. As she spoke he felt a great deal of respect and admiration towards her as she was rambling about her theories.

Severus was beginning to realise that he saw Lyra as so much more than Lucius' niece that needed a close watch, she was beginning to become her own person. Lyra, unlike her parents, was kind and had a passion for caring for people which was evident in the way that she had treated him and her desire to find a cure for this disease. He thought of the way students and staff spoke about her, they all admired her despite the reputation she had gained as a student.

"So, I just need to confirm it is this parasite," she continued, "Then I'll need to figure out how to kill it without harming the host and then I'll write up a report and I'll be published then my healing career could take off and you never know I might be the one to discover the cure for Lycanthropy, I just hope no one else beats me to it. Why are you smiling at me?"

Severus didn't realise that he was smiling at her, he laughed it off. "You recall how early in the term you said you don't know where Dumbledore gets these teachers from?" he asked, "You're acting exactly like everyone else."

Her eyes narrowed at the Potions Master's amusement before smiling as well, "I suppose you're right."

Lyra helped herself to the dinner she had brought for the two of them and they caught up briefly over the food before they headed into his classroom to begin brewing. They worked mainly in silence, intending to work efficiently and quickly as possible as Lyra was itching to return back to her room in order to study the books that she had borrowed. It took them a few hours but they finished up at around 10pm, leaving her time to do a bit of reading before she'd settle for bed.

"Did you want to enjoy a glass of wine with me?" he asked.

She smiled and her plans of reading were quickly forgotten as she accepted his offer. The pair moved on to his quarters, thankful that it was past curfew and that no students would see them sneaking around. Lyra probably brought enough suspicion upon herself that morning as she was leaving his quarters so early. The cosied up to the fireplace and cracked into a bottle of elf-made wine. The two began to gossip about the students that they shared and how their attitudes differed in their classrooms.

"How is Marcus Flint fairing?" she asked.

"His parents came to take him to St. Mungo's this morning," he replied, "Hopefully they can help them there but I'm not sure what more they can offer as they know as much about Psyrot as we do."

"Maybe someone's already discovered a cure?"

"How did you figure out that it was a parasite?" he asked.

"Bole and Derrick spoke to me after class asking about Flint and whether or not they'd have practice," she recounted, "Bole then proceeded to sneeze on my face and noticed that in the flecks of mucus he left behind that there seemed to be eggs and I spotted a small worm crawling."

"Wonderful," Severus said.

"Obviously, I'll need to test other students to see if it holds true," she said, "Then there'll be a lot more work to go but it's achievable. Do you think I should credit them if I write a report?"

"You shouldn't give either of them any credit," he said, "They are both complete imbeciles."

Lyra laughed at his response, her head shook in disapproval but a smile was still plain on her lips. Severus watched her as she pressed her lips against the cool of her glass as though she was hiding her face away from embarrassment. His gaze caught hers and she smiled forming wrinkles around her eyes as well as a twinkle within. That smile was so precious that he wanted to keep it locked in his memory forever.

Lyra's eyes cast down as if staring at Severus was like staring at the sun. She felt her heart ache in want and her cheeks were flushed. She attempted to blame the feelings on the alcohol she had been drinking but in her heart she knew that her Uncle was right. That she was in fact falling in love with Severus Snape.

The thoughts and feelings were uncomfortable and unfamiliar to Lyra. No one had ever made her feel this way, her heart was racing but her breathing slow. She felt faint and dizzy, she finally knew what people meant when they said they had butterflies in their stomach and her stomach was in knots. She had crushes before but this was a completely different ball game, it was almost as though every single one of her crushes came to confront her all at once. The feeling made her nauseous and she didn't know whether it was because she felt this particular way or whether she was terrified about the consequences of her feelings.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned that the look of joy had fleeted and was replaced by an expression of illness. She shook her head dismissively and he asked once more.

"I feel strange," she said, her eyebrows strained.

"Are you sick?" he asked, rushing to his feet.

She laughed, "I think it's much worse than that."

"What?"

She shook her head and sighed, pushing her feelings aside, "It's nothing."

"Don't make me use Legilimency on you," he threatened.

"I know better than to let my guard down around you," she smiled, "I think I'm just tipsy and tired."

"Time for bed," he said as he removed her glass and placed it on the table. Lyra took his hand as he pulled her up, escorting her to the bed.

"Can we shower first?" she asked. "I haven't bathed since yesterday and I feel pretty gross."

"Are you wearing underwear, Miss Lestrange?" he asked.

"Don't call me that," she said, "It makes me feel like a schoolgirl about to get a detention."

"We should try that one time," he smirked.

"Are you going to bend me over your desk and spank me?"His eyebrows raised in agreement and Lyra laughed, "When was the last time you were laid?"

"I shagged this beautiful witch last night," he said his arms wrapped around her and he cornered her against a nearby wall. "I stole her panties then she went the whole day without them." He slid his hand down the front of her skirt, underneath the material and touched her naked sex. "Sound familiar?"

Her tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip before she bit it. "You don't know how much I want you, Lyra," he whispered into her ear.

"I have an idea," she said, her hand made its his crotch and the palm of her hand ground into it.

"Don't tease me, Lestrange," he warned, his breath hot against her lips. She kissed him hard and fast, her hands quickly unbuttoned his vest and his removed her clothes, parting to pull her top over her head.

"Why the fuck do you have so many buttons?" she groaned as she discarded his vest and got to work on the button up that was hidden underneath.

"To frustrate witches like you," he said, undoing her bra and getting to work on her nipples.

She moaned, struggling to maintain concentrating on working her fingers around the buttons. Eventually he was free from his upper garments and her lips moved onto his neck as her hands fumbled clumsily with his pants.

"Don't leave marks on me," he said as she began to suck and bite where she was kissing. It was too late for his warning and she didn't care. Her lips just moved down to his chest where she continued to make her mark.

"Lyra," he groaned as her hand gripped around his cock and began to slowly pump and tease. His fingers looped around the band of her skirt and pulled it down. A finger dipped beneath the folds and once assuring she was wet enough his hands gripped onto the backs of her thighs and hoisted her up so her hips were on his. He pressed her body against the wall behind her and held her there as he manipulated his cock to slide deep into her.

Severus' hips bucked up into hers eliciting a small moan from Lyra with every thrust as he fucked her against the wall. His hands gripped her thighs and her ass hard as he pounded into her. Lyra's arms were wrapped around his neck, one hand buried into his hair whilst the other held onto his back for leverage. Her eyes connected with Severus for a moment and she could see the lust that was swirling around in his dark orbs. His eyes flicked down, watching her breasts bounce and his cock slide in and out of her sex. The sight alone made him groan hard as he felt the tension in his balls grow.

Lyra too watched what he was focused on, the sight of him plunging in and out was erotic. Severus Snape is fucking me against a wall. The thoughts, the feelings and the sight was enough to drive her over the edge. She grabbed a hold of him tighter, her nails began to dig into his back as she came hard. As the tension began to release for her, so did it for Severus. He came inside her, his thrust slowed and he pressed Lyra harder against the wall as his body relaxed, scared she was going to slip.

He let her down slowly and the two wordlessly headed to the bathroom. Both too tired to stand they settled for the bath again. Severus urged her to sit on his side, on his lap this time, returning the favour from last time. She relaxed into his embrace and allowed her eyes to drift shut for a moment.

Severus allowed the exhausted witch to sleep for a few moments, enjoying the comfort of her body against his. He rested his head against hers and noticed the smell of her hair, lavender like a sleeping draught. Maybe that's why he felt so peaceful, like he could sleep again. His thoughts were no longer strained with his failures, instead they were calm and restful. He felt as though Lyra anchored him down, he was no longer worried about the future or what was to come because he felt that if he had Lyra by his side that everything would work out. He knew he trusted her and he believed that as she slept in his arms surrounded by a pool of water that her vulnerability was also a gesture of trust.

Ten minutes passed of Lyra sleeping and he gently nudged her awake, knowing that if she slept any longer that she would have difficulty sleeping. She was half asleep as she washed herself so Severus helped her scrub her back. He ushered her out once they were done and made herself dry thoroughly after a lazy attempt. When they moved onto bed Lyra quickly fell back asleep and Severus had no difficulties as she curled up against his chest.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen – Progression**

The Potions Master of Hogwarts could get used to waking up next to the beautiful Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. He was enchanted by the way that she smelled, how she warmed his bed and the sound of her steady breath. His arms were wrapped around her, pulling her in closer, not wanting the witch to ever leave his side. The action roused her and she smiled as she noticed her position.

"I thought you said cuddles were dangerous," she said as she shifted back into his body. She felt his morning wood press against her back.

"They still are," he whispered into her hair, "But I think you grinding into my member is much more dangerous."

"Oh really?" she teased. She shifted her hips back more, pushing down more on his cock.

He groaned, "It's much too early for you to be teasing me like this."

"Is it?" she asked, continuing to move.

"If you don't stop I'll make you regret it," he breathed heavy into her ear.

His threat was more arousing than threatening and Lyra had woken up on the daring side her hips continued to shift back into him. Severus grabbed her by her wrists and pushed them above her head as he moved to straddle the teasing witch. He effortlessly held her hands there as he reached over to the bedside table for his wand. Wordlessly, he cast Incarcerous , binding her wrists together and attaching it to the headboard of his bed, restricting her movements.

"What happened to you taking me on a date before tying me up?" she asked, her eyes glistening with anticipation.

"I never agreed to that suggestion," he said as he pulled the sheets off of her body. As he sat on her hips, he placed his wand beside her so he could reach it. He kissed her cheek and whispered, "If you want me to stop just tell me, ok?"

She smiled up in admiration of the man who was hovering over her and nodded, allowing Severus to continue his ravishment.

He leaned down and kissed her on the lips, his hands sat comfortably on her ribcage and caressed her as he deepened it. His tongue yearned to enter her mouth and danced with hers when he was finally allowed in.

Moments passed of his lips enjoying hers before they sought to discover more of her body. He peppered kisses down against her jaw, then to her neck then her chest. One hand teased a breast whilst the other just held her back for support and intimacy.

As his kisses reached her nipple he took the hardened nub into his mouth, warming it with his tongue and teasing it with his teeth. Lyra moaned aloud as his hand tweaked the other nipple, overwhelmed by the stimulation.

She wondered how long it would go on, the sensations travelling deep within her and warming her sex. When she thought he was finally done he switched, his mouth replaced by his other hand and her drier breast engulfed by his lips.

Lyra was writhing underneath Severus and he paid no attention to her wants, instead he focused on appreciating her sensitive nipples.

"Sev," she moaned out, breaking his concentration. He lifted his head up to look up at the witch whose cheeks were flushed and eyes were begging. "I need you."

"Should've thought about that before you started teasing me," he said, continuing his mouth's onslaught on her breasts.

She breathed a sigh of relief after several minutes had passed and Severus mouth had moved on. Unfortunately for her his hands did not, they continued to tease and rub the aroused flesh but that didn't last for long.

He slid down her body, resting between her legs that he had spread. He kissed and teased her inner thighs with both his hands and mouth. She giggled as she was overwhelmed with sensitivity.

Severus smiled against her thighs at the witch's joy before deciding to kiss the outside of her pussy. He didn't even have to spread her lips to know that she was already primed and ready for his cock. He ached for her too but he first wanted to drive her insane for teasing him.

His tongue dipped between the folds, starting from her clitoris and moving down to her entrance. He could taste the faint saltiness of her arousal. He moved his tongue up and began to lap up her juices as well as tease the sweet spot with every lick.

Once satisfied with her taste he dipped a finger in and licked around her button as he moved in and out of her at a slow pace. She could only take the teasing for a few moments before her hips attempted to quicken the pace and friction.

"Lyra," he scolded, "If you don't restrain yourself you will find your legs in the same predicament as your arms."

"Sev, please," she begged.

"Please what?" he asked, the single digit still moving in and out of her.

"Fuck me," she said, "Fill me. I need your cock."

As much as he wanted to continue his teasing, he too wanted to feel her around him. He reached for his wand and removed the ropes. Severus climbed up so his face was over hers and lined his cock up with her entrance.

He hovered briefly, looking deep into her eyes that were filled with lust and want. "Now, do you know better than to tease me?" he asked.

Her look was playful; a smirk came across her lips. She was tempted to say yes so he would plunge into her but she also wanted to say no, enjoying the control that he had exerted over her. She bit her lip and shook her head.

He rolled his eyes, "Would you like me to continue my lesson?"

"I'd like for you to fuck me," she said, her hip straining against his body attempting to slide his cock in.

"Don't tease me," he scolded.

"It's all a part of foreplay," she licked her lips. "I like knowing that you want me as much as I want you."

"I'm warning you, Lyra," he said, "If you tease me, I'll tease you even worse. I will have you on the brink of orgasm, begging me to fuck you and I'll leave you there. Don't give what you can't take."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," she replied.

"Very well," he said before he finally thrust deep inside of her.

Lyra moaned from the lack of warning from his intrusion, despite having begged for it. She had already been teetering on the edge orgasm from his teasing and she embarrassingly found herself coming after a few pumps. Her hands gripped onto his biceps that were on either side of her for support as her orgasm ripped through her.

Severus continued, pleased that he had made the wanton witch come so quickly. The tightening and pulsating of her walls spurred him on as well as the grip she held tightly on his arms. Her face was flushed with pleasure, her eyes were squeezed tight, her breathing laboured.

The continuous movement of his cock after her orgasm was overwhelming. Her nether regions were aching and sensitive but he kept rocking in and out of her. Once she reopened her eyes she noticed little details about the passion they exchanged; the way his body looked on top of her, fierce and dominating, how strong his arms were and how his eyes would be focused on her face most of the time, occasionally glancing down to stare at the way her body looked under his. His eyes danced close as he neared his orgasm, his face straining as he attempted to get closer to his bliss. His breathing became more jarring and restrained. His hips maintained a constant pace. These small details were bringing Lyra closer to orgasm as well.

She attempted to keep her eyes open, focusing on him and the way his body moved against hers but as she neared her climax again they drifted shut. With the absence of that sense she touched him, his chest his, his strong arms and noticed his breathing.

Severus' arms were growing tired so he relaxed his arms slightly, allowing some of his weight to rest on her body. He kissed her sloppily on the lips before burying his head into her neck.

The feeling of his weight combined with his lips was enough to bring Lyra to orgasm again. A moan escaped her lips and she bucked against his hips as she came harder than the time before. The sensations were enough for Severus to come as well.

He collapsed on top of her and grabbed his wand before he rolled back over to his side of the bed. With a lazy flick he brought a sheet on top of them so the witch wouldn't get cold.

Lyra turned to nuzzle into his side kissing his arm. His other arm reached over and stroked her hair back so he could lay a kiss on her forehead. "Was that ok?" he asked.

"It was more than ok," she said smiling sweetly at the concerned wizard. He wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her in closely to his body and she moved in, resting her head on his chest. She closed her eyes and relaxed but inside her she felt those feelings she had last night again though not to the same intensity. The hand at her back moved slowly, rubbing and calming her. "You're going to make me fall asleep again," she whispered.

"That's ok," he said.

"But there's so much to do," she muttered.

"That can be addressed after you nap," he whispered.

"I guess," she replied. Her eyes were already closed.

Severus smiled at her innocence and continued to stroke her back until her breathing was relaxed and he was sure she was asleep. He was thankful his wand was in reach, not wanting to move to disturb the sleeping witch, as he summoned an unfinished book from his office.

It was difficult to focus on the words in front of him as his heart felt full and fluttered in time with her breathing. He knew these feelings all too well. He knew that he was falling in love with the woman who was sleeping soundly on his chest. He was enjoying the feeling all too much to worry about the uncertainty that the future held. The wizard knew better than to surrender himself completely to these feelings as tempting as it was but that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate these small moments while it lasted.

He heard a knock on his office door, bringing him out of his head and back to reality. He gently slid Lyra off his chest and summoned his clothes to dress himself. He rushed to answer the door, composing himself before he opened the door. His eyebrows perked up at Minerva's appearance.

"I haven't bothered you, have I Severus?" she asked.

"Not at all," he said through pursed lips.

"The heads are having a meeting with Albus," she explained, "To discuss Psyrot, we've been having a few more serious cases."

He hesitated for a moment, not wanting to leave Lyra behind but he was not one to shirk his duties so he followed the Transfiguration Professor.

"You haven't happened to see Lyra, have you?" she enquired, "I dropped by her office this morning hoping that she'd come to the meeting and possibly share some insight but she wasn't there."

He puckered his bottom lip as he shook his head. "She came by last night to help me brew the Pepper Up," he said, "She was rambling about developing a cure so I suspect she's working on that."

"She thinks she can develop a cure?"

He nodded, "It seems so but it might take her a while."

Lyra had woken up when she was gently nudged off his chest and left to hug a pillow instead. She tried to go back to sleep and rest but it was difficult as Severus' warmth had disappeared. She had heard faint voices coming from his office, followed by the close of a door. As she hadn't heard any footsteps approaching she suspected that he had left. She sighed and spread out on the bed, reluctant to leave but she somehow mustered the will to get up. After getting up to get dressed she groaned as she realised that she still hadn't replaced her underwear and told herself to ensure that this time around to make sure to make the time to replace them.

As she passed through Severus' office she noticed the bottles of Pepper Up sitting on his desk, waiting to be taken to the Hospital Wing. She rolled her eyes at the prospect of a detour on her journey to replace her underwear but knew it was necessary. She summoned a hamper big enough to stow the bottles in and allowed to hover in front of her on her journey up to the Hospital Tower.

Every bed was filled, some students were sleeping whilst others were vomiting and the ones who weren't as ill were standing. Madam Pomfrey and Nurse Wainscott were completely overwhelmed with the amount of students that were ill. Poppy had a look of relief when she saw Lyra entering with the collection of potions.

"Do you mind if you help out a bit?" Poppy said as she retrieved the potions off her.

"Not at all," Lyra accepted with a smile.

Lyra worked well with the two witches, easily slipping back into the routine she knew from when she worked there. Whilst she was there she had the opportunity to gather more samples to test out her hypothesis. Several hours passed before the amount of students hanging around became manageable.

"Lyra," Poppy called out as she administered some Sleeping Draught to a Hufflepuff student, "Thank you for your help, I think I've kept you long enough."

Lyra smiled at the Matron, "If you need any help don't hesitate to ask."

"Of course not," Poppy said, "Go on now, I know you're itching to discover a cure."

"Give me a week and I'll have it sorted," Lyra said as she exited the room.

Poppy smiled and shook her head at the witch she had mentored.

Lyra's stomach was rumbling as she had neglected to eat that morning. She dropped by the staff room to stop for a quick pick-me-up. Severus was in there alone, drinking a cup of coffee with his nose buried in a book. She grabbed a few things off the counter and took a seat next to him.

"My apologies for this morning," he muttered, not taking an eye off the page in front of him.

Lyra's mouth was stuffed with food and she attempted to choke it down to reply.

"If Lucius saw you now he would be so disappointed," he said, setting his book down and watching the witch struggle with her food.

She took a sip of water, "This muffin is so dry."

"Why not eat some real food?" he asked.

"No time," she said, "I was going to bring it to my room but I thought I'd keep you company so you could fill me in on the gossip."

"A few more students are being sent to St. Mungo's," he explained, "It's spreading faster than was expected."

"I'm not surprised," she said, earning an eyebrow raise from the wizard. "All the students live in rather close quarters, it's easily spread. Plus they're all teenagers, they probably have no concept of hygiene and are making out like horny bunny rabbits."

He nodded in understanding, "Poppy isn't dealing well with the influx of patients."

"Yeah," Lyra agreed, "I just spent my morning there, I delivered the potions and got roped in to help. Collected a few more samples to study so I best be off."

"Have fun," Severus called out as she scurried out the door.

As she reached her classroom she had made sure to replace the underwear Severus had claimed and went to look at the vial she had collected the day prior. She summoned a magnifying glass and took a quick look at the contents. It seemed as though her stasis charm had worked but as she cast Finitie Incantatem the worm didn't seem to move. She carefully extracted the contents and wordlessly used Engorgio on the worm. She nudged it but it seemed to be dead. That wasn't supposed to happen but she guessed that as it was a living creature it probably just died from starvation as it had been more than 24 hours since she first procured it.

Unluckily for her she didn't retrieve any live worms from her collections today. She set aside the worms for the time being and decided to tackle the books she had collected from the library. It took her six hours in total to skim read through the lot of them and by the time she was done she felt like she had taken away very little. She attempted to compare the look of the worm to ones mentioned in parasite books but had no success. The only key thing that stood out for her was that they started using Sleeping Draught as treatment in the later stages because the victims would start screaming if they hadn't already passed out from the pain of the infection.

She had a theory that the parasites may in fact eat the brain of the victims which matched up to the symptoms that presented. Lyra looked at the dead worm rather hopelessly, wishing she could new it's secrets. It was much too late for her to be disturbing other teachers and collecting more samples from the hospital wing but she wondered, why hadn't the eggs she collected hatched yet?

Maybe the conditions weren't favourable, maybe they only hatched whilst inside the nose? Or possibly even further long when the ovum reached the bloodstream. She pulled knife and cut her hand slightly, allowing the blood to drip into the vial she had collected the day previous. She watched and waited.

After about five minutes, Lyra's patience ran out so to keep her busy she dissected the magically enlarged worm. She stared at its contents and structures, scratching her head a bit. Maybe taking Care of Magical Creatures would've been in her best interests whilst at Hogwarts. She hadn't covered Parasitology due to the rarity of magical ailments that were caused by parasites. She decided to preserve it and to consult Professor Kettleburn the next day to see what insight he could give her.

She looked back at the tube that contained a sample along with blood. Still no progress, she sighed and placed her head in her hands. ' Can't expect a breakthrough on the first day' , she reassured herself before choosing to settle for the night.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen - Steam**

Daylight broke out over the grounds of Hogwarts, slowly illuminating every inch of the grand castle's walls. People began to wake in order to seize the last day of the weekend before they returned to classes. As they began to roam the grounds of the castle the Care of Magical Creatures Professor had already been awake for hours, tending to many of the creatures he utilised for his classes. The Professor was tending to the flock of Thestrals with the Keeper of Keys and Grounds when he heard fresh footsteps in the snow approaching.

The sound belonged to none other than the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. The pair of wizards were surprised at her appearance, knowing that the witch had shown little to no interest in their area of expertise.

"Lyra Lestrange," Silvanus addressed the woman when she arrived in earshot. "To what pleasure do we owe you?"

"Professor Kettleburn, Hagrid," she nodded to each with a smile, "I was wondering if you had much knowledge in the identification of unknown species."

"And what type of animal is it?" he asked.

"A parasite," Lyra reached into her robes and drew out the vial she had filled with blood the night before. Using her wand, she drew out a single worm from the vial before tucking it back into her dress robes and rested the worm on her hand. She enlarged it and held it up to the Professor. "It's responsible for all our cases of Psyrot. The worm hatches from a very small egg only in the presence of blood, I'm not entirely sure where it lives or what it eats. I thought it's internal structure may give me a hint. I think it dies rather quickly without nutrients though."

"Interesting," Silvanus said with a look of wonder. "Leave your samples with me and I'll let you know."

"Thank you, Silvanus," she said with a smile. Lyra shrunk down the worm and placed it back into the vial. She pulled out another vial with just eggs and handed it to the Professor.

"My pleasure," he replied with a nod.

"I'll let you know if I figure out anything else," she dismissed herself from their presence.

Lyra stopped by the hospital wing on her way back to her classroom. Poppy and Nurse Wainscott didn't seem as busy that day but were still occupied running student to student.

"Poppy, do you mind if I examine a few of the patients?" Lyra asked.

"As long as you don't put them under a great deal of stress," Poppy replied as she rubbed the back of a student who was vomiting.

Lyra nodded.

A student that had just entered the hospital wing found themselves a target for Lyra's experimentation. The hufflepuff boy looked frightened as Lyra encouraged the boy to sneeze a few times into a tissue which she then collected. She drew out her wand and tapped the side of the boy's head whilst whispering 'Viscera ostende' twice. It appeared as the she had vanished his hair, scalp and skull and could see the outer layers of the brain. She looked around and noticed that there were a few worms already burying itself into his meninges.

Lyra handed a bottle of Pepper Up to the boy and watched his brain closely. The potion caused a dramatic rise in temperature and as steam left his ears she noticed that the worms had vanished, almost as though the high temperature ripped them apart. 'Viscera abscondam' was cast and the boy's flesh and hair reappeared.

The boy ran off without a word of thanks and Lyra moved on to a sleeping student. Using the same incantation prior she looked at the child's brain. The worms had penetrated the meninges and were beginning to make their attack on the brain but they were dormant. The worms observed were significantly larger than the ones she had observed on the recently infected child.

"How long do you keep them asleep for?" Lyra asked.

"Two days," Poppy said.

"Then what happens?"

"After a Pepper Up they're fine," Poppy explained.

Lyra paused for a moment to think, the question burning on her mind was why wasn't Pepper Up sufficient during the disease's final stage? It frustrated her that she didn't attempt to work on a cure earlier, that maybe it would be easier to figure it out if she had access to Marcus Flint. It was inhumane to inoculate a child with the disease and allow it to develop to the point where she would be able to see the parasite as a fully grown adult. For a moment her mind played with the idea of infecting herself but she knew it would be completely irresponsible, particularly when she was nowhere near a breakthrough.

Lyra felt frazzled as she knew there was a logical solution to her problem that was in sight but she just couldn't seem to grasp it. How was she supposed to develop a cure for something she couldn't see with no patients available to test or trial? She felt as though her thinking was too linear, that she wasn't thinking outside the box but she didn't know how to.

"I can see the steam coming out of your ears, Lyra," Poppy teased as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're thinking too much. Maybe you need to clear your head. Go for a walk, step away from everything and allow yourself to approach it from a fresh perspective. We can handle this lot."

Lyra agreed with Poppy's suggestion and headed off for a walk around the school grounds. It was still rather cold, fresh snow fell readily from the sky. There were students running around, chasing one another with snowballs and some were making snow men. She smiled as she enjoyed the scenery and the cool winter air that filled her lungs.

She knew that she had overwhelmed herself with too much information in one sitting and had expected too much of herself. With every exhale she made, she tried to breathe out the stress she had created for herself. Lyra cleared her mind, emptying herself of the emotions she had allowed to take reign in order to calm herself.

As she walked past the greenhouses she noticed Severus and Pomona chatting over some flowers. The Herbologist spotted her and gave the young with a smile and a wave, beckoning her over to join the two Professors. Lyra smiled and headed over, knowing better than to say no.

"Professors," she addressed the two as she got close enough.

"Lyra," Pomona beamed, "What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd go for a walk," the woman explained, "Clear my mind."

"I hear from most of the staff that you're researching for a cure for this disease that's going around," the Herbologist said, "If you need any help, let me know."

"Will do," Lyra said with a smile. She turned to address Seerus, "Potions ingredients?"

"Just stocking up some supplies," Severus replied, "Thank you, Pomona."

"Anytime Severus," she replied, "Well I've got some Tentacula to wrangle so I best be off. Good luck, Lyra. I'll see you two around."

Lyra gave the Herbologist a smile as she darted off into the greenhouse. With that, Severus and Lyra headed back to the castle.

"You've been busy," Severus pointed out, "Any progress?"

"Not really," Lyra said with a frown. "I saw Silvanus this morning and gave him some samples, hopefully he'll be able to give me some insight. Then I went to the hospital wing and saw a few students there which I hoped would allow me to piece it together more but I still feel very lost and overwhelmed with information. Poppy suggested I take a walk but I still feel rather wound up."

"I could help you unwind," Severus smirked.

Lyra smiled at the offer, she felt her chest tighten and her crotch heat up slightly at the words. She didn't give a verbal response but Severus knew that her reaction was acceptance. The two headed wordlessly to the dungeon at a slightly quicker pace than they had began their walk.

The two remained inconspicuous, acting as though they were merely just two colleagues meeting to have a discussion. Lyra had become all too familiar with staying with Severus as she passed through his office and into his adjoining quarters, beginning to strip as she arrived but not before she had ignited his fireplace. The wizard took his time in joining her, wishing to put away the ingredients he had just collected.

When Severus enter his room, the witch was already laying on his bed in a sexy pose just in her underwear, waiting for his ravishment. Severus undressed, using his wand to quickly unfasten all his buttons so he could join Lyra in bed. She watched as each layer was shed with her lower lip caught between her teeth.

"Do you really find me that attractive?" he asked as he discarded the last of his clothes.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't," she said as she sat up. A look of concern replaced the face of desire, she stood and walked towards the man. Lyra's hand touched his chest as she leaned forward to kiss him. When their lips touched it felt as all their troubles melted away.

Lyra separated their lips and she dropped to her knees, beginning to kiss his member that was at half mast. She looked up and watched him, her eyes met his as she took him in her mouth. She closed her eyes to focus, every so often looking up at him to let him know that she did in fact want him.

Her tongue swirled around his length, occasionally her head would bop up and down as she sucked him hard, longing to taste his come. She watched his eyes flutter close in bliss whilst his hands found their way into her hair.

Severus didn't want to waste his orgasm on a blowjob but it was the sweetest thing he had felt and seen. The way she looked up at him as she swallowed him whole. The way her hands felt around the base of his cock, kneading his balls slightly. Her other hand rested on his thigh and heavens, did he feel wanted.

Severus moaned loudly, his grip on her hair tightened as he bucked into her mouth. His orgasm came hard and Lyra's mouth was full of his seed which she greedily drank. He pulled out and a droplet leaked slowly out of the tip. Lyra's tongue darted out to clean it.

"Fuck, Lyra," he groaned as the witch smiled mischievously up at him. "Lie on the bed."

She followed his instruction, lying on the bed as he asked. The Potions Master approached and rested his body next to hers, propped up on one arm with his free hand teasing her thighs. A finger dipped between her folds and she blushed as he smirked at her wetness.

"You're already wet," he said. The tone of her voice was enough to make her entire boy want to turn into a puddle. "Is that just from you blowing me?"

She wanted to hide her face as it continued to flush red. Severus' eyes bore into hers so she closed her eyes and nodded.

"Do you really think I'd use legillimency on you, Lyra?"

"No," she said, her eyes opening back up. "I just…"

"You just?" his finger found its place on her hidden nub.

"You make me," she said breathlessly, "So fucking flustered."

"Do I?" he asked.

She nodded in response, her eyes squeezing shut from the pleasure he was creating.

"Tell me more," he urged, his finger still teasing her clitoris.

"I have never been with anyone like you," she moaned as the tension built in her loins. "No one has ever made me feel this good." Her hips bucked up slightly but his finger remained steady on her sweet spot. "I just want you, I want to be with you." She panted and moaned with every breath she took. "I want you to fuck me every night. I want your touch and your kiss and your hands and your cock. In Salazar's great name, I just want you." Her eyes were closed, tears leaking out as Severus' finger continued its assault on her clitoris.

Lyra's body began to writhe. Her legs wanted to clamp shut around his hand but longed for his touch and spread. Her sex was on fire, every nerve was prickling, completely sensitive from the constant rubbing. She felt as though she was going to burst and come but it felt so overwhelming that screams began to rip from her throat. The pleasure that she was feeling was so immense, so tortuous.

"Come for me, Lyra," Severus whispered, his voice as soft as silk. She felt as though her body was wrapped with it. His words set her off. Her orgasm flooding through her, tears spilling from her eyes from how her nerves were burning through her body. She moaned and bucked into the air despite his hands moving away. Her orgasm lasting a few minutes, she could feeling her pussy convulsing in pleasure.

She was breathless, she felt completely spent. Her eyes drifted shut as her mind felt blank and Severus covered her with the sheets, tucking her in beside him.

'Did she mean it?' he asked himself. 'Does she really want me? '


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen - Complications**

Severus too had surrendered to the comfort of sleep mere moments after Lyra had. He wanted to prevent himself from dwelling on the questions he had asked himself as he felt it wasn't productive. Instead he allowed his mind to go blank and for his body to rest but that didn't mean the thoughts didn't linger.

Lyra awoke first, enjoying his embrace before rousing him with a soft kiss on the forehead. She smiled at him as his eyes fluttered open and she whispered a good morning despite it being several hours into the afternoon. His arms longed to pull her closer but he let go of her as he woke, moving from his side to his back and stretching out.

"How long have we been asleep?" he asked.

"An hour or so," Lyra replied, watching the wizard. "It's about 5pm."

Severus sat up and began retrieving his discarded clothes, placing Lyra's on the bed as he went. She watched him as he manually did each button of his shirt his eyes focused on her as he did so. "What?" he asked.

She shook her head as she sat up, "How can you be bothered to do all those buttons every day?"

"It prepares me for the day," he explained. Lyra's face screwed up in confusion. "It steadies my mind before I attend to my classes. How do you prepare yourself?"

"I roll out of bed, throw on my clothes then head downstairs," she said, "Then I teach."

"No wonder your hair looks messy all the time," he commented as he buttoned his sleeve.

She laughed. "Who are you to comment on my hair? Your hair is constantly oily because you don't wash it enough." Severus merely rolled his eyes. "You know you're not actually that bad looking, you just need to put more effort in and maybe not be such an asshole, then maybe someone would date you."

"And what makes you think I want to date someone?"

"It's obvious you want something, otherwise you wouldn't be sleeping with me," she replied, finally getting up and redressing. "Before me how long had it been?"

Severus remained silent, his eyes focused on the remaining buttons on his clothing.

"Sev," she said, approaching the man. "How long?"

He looked up at her, his eyes met hers and a stern look was apparent on his face. "Not since…" his voice trailed off. Lyra gave him a look of sympathy, knowing the implication behind his words. She knew what some Death Eaters were forced to do in their line of work and she felt sorry for him.

"Sorry," she said, affectionately tucking his hair behind his ear.

"I've had no desire to be with anyone since then," he said. "I never really had any desire to be with anyone at all. There were girls of course, during my Hogwarts days. Girls who were attracted to the Dark Arts and power, Mulciber set me up with a few but I never saw the appeal in dating."

"So you've never had a girlfriend?" she asked.

"Are you going to mock me?"

"No," she laughed at how ridiculous she thought his question was. "I've had a few casual things but I've never had a serious relationship. I honestly never had the time to, studying has always taken priority it's convenient to just have a casual shag on the side."

"Is that what you consider me as?" he asked.

She shook her head, "You mean a lot more to me than just that."

"How so?"

She sucked her bottom lip in, thinking briefly before answering. "I," she began but it was difficult for her to continue as feelings bubbled up in her chest, threatening to spill out through speech. She took a deep breath before swallowing hard.

"Be honest," he urged.

"I enjoy your company, as a friend, a colleague and a wizard," she said, "To a degree that I haven't enjoyed with anyone else. It's not just sexual, I think you're an extremely talented potioneer and you have so much knowledge that I wish to steal."

"As flattering as you are being, I doubt that's what you wanted to say."

She smiled as he saw through her response. Her words were true to a degree but there was more on her mind. "I've said it before," she said mustering some courage, "You make me nervous and flustered, in a way that no wizard has ever made me feel before." Her face turned sour as she looked down at the ground. "I have feelings for you but I am so scared of the possible consequences."

Lyra closed her eyes, to stop the anxiety that was beginning to take hold of her as Severus stared plainly back at her. She was so scared in that moment; more scared at the prospect of rejection rather than what the future would hold. The lack of response made her feel like she was going to cry and Lyra wasn't the type to cry. With a deep breath she placed those feelings aside and opened her eyes, beginning to walk away as Severus remained standing in front of her, his expression unchanged from when she had first shut her eyes.

As she passed, Severus grabbed her hand and gently tugged her away from her path. She allowed him to pull her into his embrace and melted comfortably in his arms, her head buried in his chest.

"I understand," he whispered into her hair.

Lyra felt relieved at his words but her head remained buried in his robes. She didn't want to let go, the prospect of losing him to any degree frightened her. Severus let go after a few moments and although she didn't want to separate from him she did.

"How do you feel about me?" she asked, "Your turn to be honest."

His expression strained as he debated whether to tell the truth or lie. He settled on honesty as she had done for him. "I believe that I am falling in love with you."

Lyra couldn't help but smile at his admission. She felt elated like her heart was soaring and her heart was fluttering but his plain expression kept her grounded. "But?"

"As much as I admire you Lyra, I do believe that pursuing this relationship further is unwise."

The words hurt her but she knew it was true. Lyra longed to follow her heart, her head was telling her that it was best not to pursue it further. She wanted to rebel against her family's expectations but she still craved their approval. The witch had closed her eyes in order to process her feelings before gritting her teeth and following through with her previous actions, leaving Severus behind in his room.

This time he didn't reach out to pull her away, he just let her walk knowing that he had hurt her. It was necessary, at least that's what he told himself. In his mind there was no way of making the relationship work. It didn't matter how compatible they were or that there was obviously love between them, it just simply would not work. It would all have to come to a cruel end eventually, but that fact didn't bring him comfort. Instead, he couldn't help feeling like he had done more damage to himself than her as he felt in his chest that there was something missing.

Lyra's feelings were pushed aside as she invested more effort into the disease that was plaguing the wizarding community. To her, there was no use in mourning the potential relationship, she believed that she should simply move on and continue with her endeavours but that didn't mean that with each action she took there wasn't a heaviness bearing down on her chest. It was easy enough to ignore as she taught her classes but as each day drew to a close she found it difficult to fall asleep.

When she closed her eyes the nightmares began to take hold once again. Screams. Shriek laughter. Karkaroff suffering. The face of the girl she tortured in sixth year. Images of her sickly parents in Azkaban. She would wake up in the middle of the night with tears streaming down her face and an overwhelming feeling of emptiness in her chest. The dreams were more vibrant and detailed than ever before.

The witch was beginning to work overtime in researching Psyrot, she would keep herself up most of the night to pursue her research. She thought she had most of the theory down but the solution still escaped her. She had written to her colleagues at St. Mungo's who explained that they too were no closer in discovering a cure. Lyra had informed them of the knowledge that she had discovered which was mainly the existence of a parasite, which they were surprised about. She had a feeling that this particular contact was playing dumb, not wishing to divulge any information so that they could get all the glory which Lyra was tempted to do but as there had been a recent fatality she decided it was best for them to work together.

The hours of sleep she got shortened over the week and it showed obviously under her eyes. Minerva had shown a degree of concern, noting that Severus and Lyra were no longer in speaking terms again. Lyra made it to the weekend with a stray bottle of Severus' concoction, the Draught of Restful Sleep, which only had a few more doses left. She was unwilling to approach the Potions Master for more so she accepted the inevitable fate of restless sleep, kicking herself for not paying more attention to how he brewed it.

Lyra was awoken Saturday morning by a faint knock on the classroom door. Quickly, she shrugged on more appropriate attire to address the visitor. It was Silvanus, the Care of Magical Creature Professor, who appeared on the other side of the door, curiously holding a large metal tray that was covered.

"Morning?" she said, looking strangely at the tray.

"Good morning," Silvanus replied, "I have something to show you."

"Well, come in," she invited, holding the door wide for the Professor to enter. He set the tray down on a desk and pulled the sheet off of the top of the tray, revealing dissected worms at several stages.

"So," Silvanus began, "I managed to breed them to their full maturity outside of a host. It would usually take 4-6 weeks for it to reach its full size." Lyra nodded as he explained. Using his wand he began to point out the structures on the worms. "The females die, their only purpose is to reproduce it seems, they don't grow to the size males do. I've noticed that they have secretory glands too, it releases an irritant. I tested it on a rat, causes them to sneeze."

"Makes sense."

"Indeed," Silvanus continued his explanation. "The fully mature adults are covered in this thick shell which is temperature resistant."

"That explains why Pepper Up won't work in later stages," she commented. "Do you have any live mature ones left?"

"Only a few," he frowned. "I can breed more if you'd like."

"That would be wonderful," she smiled.

"It'll take me a week to get them to full maturity," he said.

"Thank you so much, Silvanus."

"My pleasure," he said as he headed towards the door. Before he left he paused for a moment and turned to address Lyra once more, "I know I didn't know you during your school years here but I can't help but feel a sense of pride. I'm glad you're on the right path."

She exhaled a small laugh and thanked the Professor again. She headed back up to her office and began to brainstorm her plan of attack. She had spent so much time focusing on how she would be able to develop a treatment for the disease if she didn't have a patient in its third stage that she didn't realise there was an alternate method. She could easily test for something that would kill the parasite on the parasite itself. Thank goodness for Professor Kettleburn, otherwise she would've been stuck on that dilemma for a while longer. Even if she had figured it out herself there was no way she'd be able to breed the worms to full maturity at a fast rate.

Once she had the fully developed worms there were a few ways to approach it. Either she could look for something that would kill the worm or look for something that would destroy it's protective outer shell. It would be a rather difficult task but the prospect of a challenge excited her.

Lyra spent the duration of her weekend sitting in her office, marking papers and reading up on plant properties, noting which ones would be worth testing once she had the samples. Each day seemed to drag on in apprehension of obtaining the fully matured parasites. It was the only thing keeping her spirits high enough for her to endure her classes.

Half way through the week she already found herself struggling to keep herself awake, having run out of Severus' Draught on Sunday night. At breakfast one morning, she found herself drinking a large cup of coffee in an effort to keep herself awake.

"Coffee again, Lyra?" McGonagall asked as she took a seat. "Have you tried sleep?"

"Sleep?" she repeated in a humorous tone, a long yawn following after it.

"I've never saw you work this hard for your assignments," Minerva said.

"That's cause your assignments weren't nearly as interesting, Professor," Lyra teased, earning a sharp look from the Transfiguration teacher.

Lyra later found a small bottle on her desk, warily she opened the bottle casting a few spells over it to ensure it wasn't poisoned. She took a whiff and the unmistakable smell of lavender combined with hints of asphodel and wormwood filled her senses. No doubt it was the Draught of Peaceful rest, brewed by Severus. She scoffed, half tempted to throw it out. How dare he extend a gesture of kindness when he had turned her down and allowed her to walk away.

The two had avoided crossing paths for almost two weeks now. Of course, there were times where it was unavoidable but they didn't even make eye contact. How did he know she needed it? He must've noticed, he must've cared enough to notice otherwise someone else would've informed him. It made Lyra feel so conflicted inside, she was trying her best to move on from the Potions Master but this simple gesture of care made her heart cling on to that little bit of hope that there was still a chance.

Much to her surprise, Professor Kettleburn dropped by on Friday evening with a large container full of worms as well as a bag of brains.

"Brains?" she asked as he wordlessly handed them over to her.

"Monkey's," he explained, "Work well for a substitute for human's. Don't want them to starve, do we?"

"Of course," she replied, struggling to support the large container and brains. "Silvanus, do you reckon you could write your findings in a report? I would love for it to be published alongside mine if I get far enough."

"Any Slytherin I know would've just claimed the work for their own," he said.

"I have more honour than most," she winked.

"I'll get it to you by the end of the week," he said, "Hopefully you'll have a cure by then."

"That's the plan," she grinned.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen - Remedial Plants

Lyra found herself walking the grounds of Hogwarts early Saturday morning, her feet took her to the greenhouses where Pomona Sprout was tending to the numerous plants.

"Good Morning, Lyra!" the Herbologist greeted. "How are you progressing with your Psyrot cure?"

"I'm actually getting started with testing different ingredients," Lyra replied, "I was hoping you could advise me on any natural anti-parasitics. So far all I've got is wormwood, black walnut husks and pumpkin seeds."

"That's about all I know as well," the Professor said, "There aren't actually many out there. Those three best work in conjunction with one another."

Lyra nodded, "I have a list here of things I was hoping to pick." She passed on the piece of parchment.

Venoms/Poisons

Angel's Trumpet

Baneberry

Bloodroot

Venomous Tentacula

Hemlock

Misc ingredients

Nettles

Lavender

Wormwood

Black Walnut Husks

Valerian Root

Dittany

Pumpkin Seeds

Pomona looked over the list and her lips tightened. "I'm afraid that Professor Snape has cleared out most of the general potions ingredients," she replied. "It'd be worth speaking to him, he probably has better knowledge than me for practical applications of these ingredients." Lyra gritted her teeth. "You two aren't on speaking terms at the moment," the older witch stated, observing the tension in the young witch's jaw. "Maybe you should attempt to make amends. Severus was significantly happier when you two were friendly. This may be a way to bridge the gap, he's never turned away a colleague in need." The young Professor sighed at her colleague's words.

"You can gather the other ingredients," Pomona said, "I trust that you have your dragon hide gloves?"

Lyra pulled them out and put them on, getting to work on obtaining the various poisonous ingredients. She intended to use them to see their effects on the worms, an experiment which she carried out as soon as she arrived back to her room. All seemed to be rather effective, except for Hemlock, in killing the parasite in rather low doses. Unfortunately they were all poisonous to humans as well, there was no telling what would happen if they were ingested in a potion. There were too many variables and adept as Lyra was at making potions she was no potioneer. Creating a potion to cure a disease was a whole different ball game to simply following an instruction manual.

She did not want to admit defeat and ask the Potions Master for assistance but if she truly did want to discover a cure she'd have to. Reluctantly, she found herself walking down to the dungeons with several worms and poisons. With each step down she felt her stomach descend, beginning to feel physically ill at the prospect of facing him after two weeks of silence. Two weeks wasn't enough to get over with what occurred between them.

The nausea rose as she knocked on his door, her heart was racing, her head dizzy as she waited for the Head of Slytherin to open up. Why in Godric's name, was he taking so long to answer the door? She found herself fiddling with her hand as she waited, twirling the pine between her fingers as a drummer would with his sticks. She felt hyper aware of the students that passed, she hoped they weren't staring at her. Lyra attempted to maintain an air of confidence despite the fact she felt like she was about to throw up. Severus' door flew open, with one quick glance at the woman he spat out the word, "What?"

Her jaw tensed slightly at the venom of her words. She looked up at him for a brief moment, her eyes cast downward immediately after they met. "I need your help."

Severus merely stepped aside, allowing the young Professor into his office. She forgot how intimidating he could be, it was a treatment that she had never been on the receiving end of. Lyra slid past the Potions Master and stood aimlessly as he shut the door.

"Well?" he asked expectantly.

Lyra felt as though she was a nervous student again. She breathed in deeply in an attempt to ground herself, trying to find the confidence to speak. "I've been continuing my research on Psyrot," she said, "And I can't do it alone."

Severus took a seat, summoning a seat for the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor as well. With a deep exhale he composed himself for the witch, "Tell me your findings."

Lyra swallowed hard before explaining herself. "Well, Kettleburn bred some of the parasites for me so I can test different poisons and things that may work against it that I may be able to incorporate into a potion. The reason that the Pepper Up doesn't work is that it develops a shell towards the later stages, preventing it from being destroyed by heat as well as the body's immune system. So either I can find something that will weaken its shell or something that can kill it nonetheless. I was rather limited as Pomona said you had taken most of the ingredients I require."

"What have you tested so far that's worked?" he enquired.

"Angel's Trumpet."

"Too deadly."

"Baneberry."

"Targets the heart."

"Can't redirect it?"

"With great difficulty it's possible, other options?"

"Bloodroot?"

"Bowels and blood."

"Could it penetrate the blood brain barrier?"

"With some tweaks it's possible but risky."

"Venomous Tentacula."

"It's too volatile, otherwise it'd be ideal as it isn't deadly to humans."

"Well that's it really," she sighed. "Those ones kill it. The Venomous Tentacula seems to be most effective. Otherwise in low doses the bloodroot gets rid of the shell then you could probably use Pepper Up."

"What about classic antiparasitics?" he asked.

"Pomona was out so we'd need to trial," she said.

"I think we can use bloodroot and wormwood," he replied. "The difficulty would be getting it to target the brain as well as getting the concentration correct for human consumption. If not then we'll try to use the tentacula venom."

"I'm sure there'd be a charm to direct it to the brain," she said, her mind remembering a passage she had read somewhere.

"Most potions target specific parts of the body based on the ingredients within but charming it would be ideal in the case of the tentacula. Research it when you can. We should start testing."

With a nod, the pair moved off into the Potions classroom, both pulling out ingredients off the shelves to trial on the worms. Nettles simply made the outer shell more solid and no other component seemed to efficiently shed the shell as efficiently as the bloodroot. It was a lot of trial and error in which Severus took the lead, Lyra offered suggestions based on her knowledge that Severus would comment on. He enjoyed debating potion theory with the girl, it was refreshing to speak with someone with different perspective. Honestly, for him it was nice be speaking with her once more.

Severus realised he had missed her over the past two weeks of absence. He had found himself a bit more short of temper than usual, his general tolerance of people had reduced significantly resulting in an excess of sarcasm and harsher punishments on students. Anyone that ticked him off in the slightest would find their house lacking a significant number of points with a strong prospect of detention, in fact he had several students lined up for detention that evening which he now was dreading. He wanted to spend more time with Lyra but maybe it was best he kept his distance.

He watched her from afar, maintaining at least a foot of physical distance between them but as he sat back he found himself noticing little quirks he hadn't noticed before like the soft edge of her jaw when she tucked back a stray piece of hair or the way her nose would wrinkle as she made an observation and quickly wrote it down on her parchment. It stirred quite a confusing emotion within him, his heart both felt full and ached as he pined for her. His head was telling him to keep away, knowing the trouble that his heart would lead him into.

"We'll need to trial these on something living," she commented as they settled on an effective combination that synthesised well with the low dose of bloodroot.

"I have students coming for detention soon," Severus said, "Perhaps we should trial it on them."

Lyra giggled, "Rats would be ideal."

"I'll speak to Filch about getting some," he replied.

"I'll research guiding spells, what time did you want to meet tomorrow?"

"Probably around 10," he said.

"Ok," she replied as she showed herself out.

"Lyra," he called out after her, his heart tugging and longing to be with hers.

She hummed a small sound as she turned around.

He wanted to apologise, he wanted to say that he missed her but he couldn't form the words. His head told himself to keep his distance so he settled on, "Have a good night."

She smiled sweetly back, "You too." She turned, waving her hand as she walked away.

The day had left her feeling accomplished, after weeks of stagnation in the development of the cure she felt as though she was finally progressing. She was thankful that she had her old Professors on her side to guide her through the process. Lyra had learnt the theory behind the development of treatments in her NEWTs and Healer training but without her experienced colleagues she would've found herself lost. Not to mention it would've taken a great deal longer. The whole experience allowed her to acknowledge her short comings and learn from some of the greatest witches and wizards.

Lyra also felt relieved in the sense that despite the awkward ending of their intimate relationship the two could remain in a room together for several hours to work on something and maintain a completely professional relationship. There were no sarcastic comments or teasing remarks from either party. The two were focused on working towards a cure for Psyrot.

Lyra's focus on the cure continued as she wandered to the library in search for a particular book. She couldn't recall the name of the book but she could see the passage clearly in her head. 'Where did I read it?' she asked herself.

Madam Pince was of no help for she couldn't see into the witch's mind and with the copious amount of books that could be of relevance it would take days to narrow it down. Lyra thought harder of where she might've read it, concentrating on the image of her memory. She recognised the ebony desk in the background. Of course, she had read it whilst studying in the Malfoy Manor. Hastily, she thanked the librarian and power walked to the edge of the castle grounds. Once she knew she was past the anti-apparation barrier she thought hard of the Manor and with a spin she found herself there.

She walked the familiar path through the wrought iron gates, down the cobbled footpath and up the stairs of the patio to its grand entrance.

She was greeted by a confused looking Lucius as he walked down the marble staircase. "Lyra? What are you doing here?"

"Sorry," she said as she removed her coat, "I just needed to pop into the library to do a bit of research. I should've warned you."

"Nonsense," he said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "This is your home." The witch smiled slightly at her Uncle's gesture. "Will you join us for tea?"

"Of course," she replied.

"Cissy is visiting Cygnus with Draco at the moment so you'll be able to get some peace and quiet," he said, "If you need anything, let me know."

With that, Lucius wandered off to the living room. As she walked up the stairs she could hear the tinkling of piano keys, her heart sung along to the melody as she recalled Lucius teaching her as a young girl and how she'd sing along with him. They were rare but sweet moments she shared with her Uncle that occurred long before he had adopted her.

Lyra was pulled out of her memories as she was faced with the lined walls of the library. She easily found the collection of books regarding the healing arts and potion making and began to pull out what she thought was relevant. Once amassing a large stack that was piled on the ebony desk she began to flick through each book, attempting to match her fuzzy memory with the pages. An hour passed before she actually found the passage she was looking for.

Potion Targeting

As most potions are ingested the primary area of absorption is within the digestive tract. The effect a potion may have may differ from its intended purpose due to the unpredictability and low absorption via the enteral route. This may be counteracted through the use of charms.

When finishing a potion the witch or wizard must use the incantation ire followed by the latin name for the desired organ waving their wand over the cauldron in a circular thrice clockwise and once counterclockwise.

An alternative method for potion targeting, particularly in a healing sense, is to use animal tissue of the desired target. This may involve the use of diseased tissue or parasites within the potion. When adding the tissue recite the incantation cel scopus three times. Please note that this may not be an effective method if the ingredients within the potion are toxic.

Lyra placed a bookmark within the page and slammed it shut. She felt closer than ever to the solution. With her wand she sent the rest of the books back into place before she headed downstairs.

The muted sound of piano still echoed in the entrance, the piece was building and falling gracefully. She approached the living room door, knocking softly, afraid to disturb Lucius as he was engaged in his performance. Yet, she heard him say "Come in," as he continued to tickle the ivories.

She took a seat, resting the book on her lap as she watched her Uncle in fascination, admiring his form as his fingers danced delicately on top of the keys. He had so much passion and emotion, it was like there was magic intertwined with his playing, enchanting those who would listen. Several minutes passed until he reached the end.

"That was brilliant," she said.

Lucius was flattered, smiling brilliantly at his niece. The man stood, drawing his wand and flicking it at a cupboard as he took a seat next to her. The doors opened and a serving plate exited, holding an unopened bottle of Malfoy Apothecary's Superior Red and two wine glasses. "I recall Severus mentioning that you performed at the Founding Ball," he said as he settled into the plush armchair. "He said you performed wonderfully, I haven't seen you play in a long time."

"I fell out of touch with it," she shrugged, watching the bottle uncork itself and pour into each glass. "It slipped from my priorities, I was focusing on my studies."

"As fair as that its, it's such a waste of your talent," Lucius plucked the glass from the air once it was filled.

Lyra allowed hers to nestle between her fingers, "I hardly think so. I enjoyed my studies."

The blonde swirled his cup and inhaled the red. "You could be enjoying some free time and looking for a decent man. Tell me, are you still seeing Severus?"

Lyra's expression dropped as her thoughts dwelled on the man mentioned. She hadn't come to terms with it yet, it weighed heavy in her chest despite the fact that she had been working closely with him only hours before. "It fizzled out," she said before taking a deep sip of the wine.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Lyra," he said.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at his fake apology.

"Truly," he placed his hand over his heart. "I may be your Uncle but I have raised you as my own. It saddens me to see you upset but honestly, it is for the best. You'll find a man worthy of your affections."

"Otherwise you'll find one for me," she tilted her head with a smirk of amusement.

Lucius sighed, "I know you're not interested, you'd rather focus on your career. Will you resume your healing studies when you finish or remain at Hogwarts?"

"I do enjoy teaching," she said, "But I think my passion still lies within healing. I've been working on a cure for Psyrot which is why I dropped in."

"And how is that progressing?"

"Well, I think Severus and I should be able to figure it out hopefully tomorrow, if not within the week."

"I thought you two 'fizzled out'?"

"I mean we're not sleeping together but he's still my colleague. His knowledge and experience in potion-making far exceeds mine."

"You love him, Lyra," he observed, "I can tell."

"But we're not-"

"Doesn't matter what you are and are not doing," he said firmly, "You love him and as far as I can tell he does too but he has the sense not to pursue it. You're young and want to follow your heart, I understand but you have an obligation to your family."

Lyra sighed deeply at her Uncle's words, sinking into her seat. She raised her glass and the bottle poured itself into it.

"Maybe you should speak to Narcissa about it," Lucius remarked.

"She would be disappointed in me," she frowned slightly.

"She was in love with another man before me," he said, "His family was not of the same status as ours so our marriage was arranged. My parents were hoping I'd marry Andromeda but she ran off with that mudblood so I had Narcissa. She wasn't happy but she went with it, eventually we fell in love then we had Draco. She'd understand where you're coming from."

The two were interrupted by the entrance of Narcissa and Draco. The young boy beamed at the sight of his cousin and ran into her lap. Quickly she placed her glass down to embrace the boy.

"Lyra!" he exclaimed, "You came back."

She chuckled, "Of course I did. How is grandpa?"

"Good," he shrugged. His eyes darted over to look at his parents who were embracing and he leaned in to whisper into the witch's ear. "It was really boring," he murmured, "I had to sit and drink tea with them."

"Draco," Lucius said with a warning tone, "You shouldn't climb all over Lyra, you're getting too old for cuddles."

"How do should you greet a lady, Draco?" Narcissa asked.

The boy slid off her lap and demonstrated. He faced her, took her hand and gave it a soft kiss before bowing. Lyra stifled a laugh, smiling at the boy as his head raised and nodding to dismiss him.

"Very good," Narcissa said. "Is it time for tea yet?"

"It can be," Lucius replied. "Dobby!" he called out.

The house elf appeared in front of him with a bow, "Yes, master?"

"We want tea now."

"Very well, sir," the elf snapped his fingers.

The four moved on to the dining room where they caught up with Lyra over an exquisite feast. She explained to Narcissa of her pursuit of the cure for Psyrot which she hoped would convince her to relent on the topic of marriage but it came up once more. Lyra was uncomfortable as they discussed the subject, her heart still pining for Severus, which her Uncle took note of and redirected their conversation to another topic.

Lyra ended up staying the night at the Manor as time slipped so easily through her fingers as she enjoyed the company of her family. She was given the duty to read a story from the Beedle and the Bard to Draco before he went to sleep. The boy battled the sleep that was weighing heavy on him, wishing to stay up and enjoy the company of his cousin but eventually he surrendered.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen - Trial and Error

Morning rolled around and Lyra was awoken by her cousin jumping on her bed begging her to stay for breakfast. She obliged and enjoyed the company of her family before returning to Hogwarts. This time around, Draco did not cry. He hugged his cousin and waved goodbye, promising to continue writing letters to her. Her Aunt and Uncle both embraced her as well, reminding her that she was always welcome in their home.

Lyra took the familiar path back to Hogwarts via Hogsmeade and headed straight down towards the Dungeons. Breakfast had taken more time than she expected so she was quick on her feet, hoping to not be late. She managed to knock on the door precisely as her watch hit 10am. Just as promptly, Severus opened the door of his office and welcomed her in.

"You've got the test subjects?"

"Yes," he said, "How'd you research go?"

She raised the book in response, "I had to go back to the Manor for this but it's all here." She flicked open the book into the relevant page and handed it Severus.

He read it quickly and looked up at her, "I trust you know your latin?"

"Of course," she replied, "Uncle made me take several languages over my schooling years. I did Russian and French whilst at Durmstrang then Latin and Ancient Greek."

His eyes narrowed, "No wonder you were so much trouble."

She raised her eyebrows playfully with a smirk. "It does help with spell creation which I dabbled in when I was young but I found it extremely helpful for human anatomy." She smiled sweetly, "Shall we get to experimenting."

He nodded and revealed the rats that would be the subjects of the experiment. After checking that they were in relatively good health the two quickly brewed the potion that held the lowest concentration of bloodroot. Lyra finished the potion as instructed casting " Ire dura mater cerebri ," and waving her wand in a circular motion thrice clockwise and once counterclockwise. The potion sparked, indicating the success of the incantation.

Lyra took hold of one of the feral rats whilst Severus levitated a vial into the cauldron to fill it before emptying it into the mouth of the rat. This process was repeated with 3 other rats which were put in separate cages. Now they had to wait and observe.

"How long do you think it'll take to see a reaction?" she asked.

"Depends," he shrugged. "It could be hours to days. I'm still a bit uncertain about the concentration of bloodroot. It's still rather high, I'm not sure it'll be safe for human consumption. Should've taken me up on the student offer."

She chuckled slightly at his joke, "We'll just have to wait and see. I'll take these back to my rooms and I'll let you know how it goes." She levitated the cages out the door in front of her and paused for a moment, turning to look at the Potions Master. "Thank you, Severus. I really appreciate your help."

He nodded curtly and Lyra turned, leaving the office with the rats in tow. It earned a few peculiar looks from students but she simply ignored them, her eyes were more focused on the progress of the rats. They seemed fine but Lyra wanted to make sure that they would stay that way and for some reason she believed that if she watched them nothing bad would happen. There were a few times where Lyra would stumble on the staircase as she moved up it as her focus was on the behaviour of the rats.

She settled into the comfort of her office, the rats in view of her desk whilst she worked on lesson plans. After about an hour she noticed that the rats were getting rather sick, one had begun to vomit another had diarrhoea. She scratched her head in frustration as all she could do was sit back and observe them, ensuring that they had water and food.

The first one died at 4pm. It had first fallen asleep but after checking Lyra noticed that it was in a coma, its organs had begun to shut down. She noticed in another its eyes began to look like glass. They were all showing symptoms of toxicity. It was only a matter of hours before they were all dead.

She dissected them all, one by one, to confirm what had killed them. She sighed as she realised Severus was right, the concentration of bloodroot was too high to be metabolised by rats resulting in low blood pressure, tissue necrosis and eventual death. Audibly, she groaned as she felt like she was so close to the solution yet it just seemed to slip through her hands.

Lyra attempted to rationalise the results, thinking maybe if they reduced the amount of bloodroot used it may not kill them. Maybe they died because they were rats, she may just have to take the solution herself but she knew it was inadvisable. She debated internally as she went to the staff room to have something to eat. Relief overtook her as she saw Severus sitting there eating and she began to splurge the details on their experiment and work through her thoughts.

He shook his head, "I told you the concentration of bloodroot is too high for consumption."

"What if we try the other spell?" she asked.

He tilted his head slightly, "It's worth a try but as soon as those worms die the potion will be absorbed by the host and you'll face the same problem."

She groaned, "The other option is the Tentacula Venom. At least we know it won't kill humans."

"You wouldn't be able to test it on a rat though," he said, "It's rather lethal to other animals."

She rubbed her face in frustration.

"We'll figure it out," he said. His fingers twitched on the table as though he wanted to reach out and comfort the witch. He wasn't sure how she'd feel about the affection so he kept to himself. "If you don't figure it out someone else will."

"That's encouraging," she said, pursing her lips.

His eyebrows raised in a questioning manner, "Why are you so determined to discover a cure?"

"It's a puzzle I want to solve. I've invested a lot of time into this and I want to be the one to discover the cure."

"Maybe you should write about your findings and publish that," he suggested. "Maybe someone will be able to discover a cure based off of that and it'll be something to focus on while you still work on it. You never know it might allow you to see it from a different light."

She sighed, her head resting in her hands in a dramatic demonstration of her exhaustion. "I guess," she frowned, "I don't know, I feel so close to the answer and it's frustrating."

His lips pursed in an expression of sympathy and threw caution to the wind. His hand reached out to hold her free one and held it. He looked into her eyes and encouraged her. "Keep working on it. I'll be here if you need me."

A half smile formed on her lips and she nodded, "Thanks, Sev."

He squeezed her hand before taking his leave. Her eyes lingered where his hand once was and she felt an overwhelming amount of sadness as she was reminded of the relationship she couldn't pursue. She reminded herself that she should be thankful that at least he was still there as a colleague and a friend but her heart desired more.

Lyra lingered in the staff room for a few moments, interacting with a few of her peers before resigning to her quarters. She wondered how she was going to get to sleep that night with the thoughts of disappointment from her failed experiment as well as the intense feelings that remained with Severus. She remembered the potion that he had brewed for her and took it but if anything his thoughtfulness made her want him more but those thoughts were soon put to rest when she fell asleep.

When Lyra woke up the next day there was a moment where she was ok, where she felt at peace and everything was alright in the world but a few minutes passed and her reality came crashing into her. It was like a tidal wave of feelings that engulfed her and spilled from her eyes. Up until then she had been managing to keep her feelings in check but as her research had fell through she felt the walls that she built up crumble down too. She allowed herself to cry and mourn, she acknowledged her feelings and wished to spend all day in bed to weep over her failed experiment and relationship but with a deep breath the crying stopped. Lyra picked herself up and wiped away the tears that stained her cheeks before dressing herself to face the day.

Classes were uneventful that week, Lyra spent her breaks seclusion where she was working on either class work or her report on her findings. It took a few days until she could gather the nerve to face any of her colleagues again, afraid that they would ask and she'd have nothing to show for it. The dreaded moment occurred during lunch that Thursday.

"Lyra," the Muggle Studies Professor approached her with her lunch in hand, "How've you been? I haven't seen you around."

"Busy," Lyra replied. She attempted to flip the question but Charity got in before her.

"How's your work on the cure going?"

Lyra gritted her teeth and forced a smile, "Well."

Charity nodded slowly in response and an idea popped into Lyra's head.

"Tell me, Charity," the younger Professor urged, "What do muggles use to cure disease?"

"You mean medicine?" the witch's eyes lit up as she began to ramble. "They're really quite bright, they make pills and all sorts."

"How do they administer them?"

"Well, like us they have medicine you can drink and apply topically," she explained, "They have eye drops and ear drops. They also use injections which is where they use a needle to pierce the skin and insert the drug into the muscle, bloodstream sometimes even the spine! Otherwise there are inhalants, some drugs are inserted rectally."

"Wait what?"

"Yes, through the rectum," Charity continued, "They have patches."

"No before the rectum," Lyra said, "Inhalants?"

"Yes, it's common for sedatives for operations. They inhale it through a pump, tube or mask."

Lyra's brain was ticking over, it was so obvious. Why didn't she think of it earlier? If the drug was inhaled it could travel quicker into the bloodstream than if it was ingested. What if one was to inhale the vapours of tentacula venom rather than ingest it? Would they still experience the same side effects?

She was itching to test out her hypothesis but she still had two classes for the day. Anxiously, she continued to check her watch for the time awaiting the time for her to run down to the dungeons and test out her new hypothesis. When the clock ticked over she dismissed her class, running up to her room to grab a batch of worms and headed down to Professor Snape's office.

"Lyra," he acknowledged as she caught him moving between his classroom and his office.

"Severus," she grinned, "I have an idea."

"And what might that be?" he asked, his eyebrows raised in intrigue.

"Vapourisation," she said earning a curious look from the Potions Master. "Of the tentacula venom. I mean we know it has a nasty side effect if you drink it but does it have the same effect if you inhale it's vapours? Also, would that still kill the worm. I mean we'd have to test it out, I'm not sure whether the toxins will evaporate with the liquid when boiled or whether the heat will just lead to denaturation but it can't hurt to try." She had spat out her ideas at a million miles per minute before dramatically saying, "This could be revolutionary."

Severus was amused by her enthusiasm and gestured towards his office. She lead them in and they quickly got to work. They boiled the tentacula venom then Lyra levitated a worm above the vapours and watched closely. She was nervous, watching it closely for any signs that it was working. After a few minutes the worm shrivelled and died.

She grinned to her partner, "It works. Now to test it out, would you do the honours?"

"I'm not suicidal enough to inhale pure tentacula venom fumes," he said, his eyes narrowed at the girl.

"I'm a healer, if anything goes wrong-"

"You were a trainee healer, maybe we should dilute it a bit before trying to inhale it?"

She laughed sheepishly, "Good point."

Over the next hour the two played with the concentration of the tentacula venom with just water, attempting to find low dose that would still kill the worm. Despite diluting it, the venom still remained rather potent in lower doses. They ended up settling for a 4:1 ratio of water to venom to trial.

"Do I really have to be the one to test it out?" she asked with apprehension.

"We could just borrow a student from the hallway," he suggested.

"Do you really take joy in torturing students?"

He tilted his head in a questioning manner which earned a small laugh from the witch.

"If I turn purple, I wish for you to kill me," she said.

"I thought it was your favourite colour."

"It is but I don't fancy my skin turning that colour," she replied, amusement heavy in her voice.

"Are you going to keep stalling?"

Lyra opened her mouth as though she was about to rebut though she held her tongue and smiled at the wizard. She took a deep breath to calm herself before placing her head over the cauldron and inhaling it. A moan escaped her lips and she screwed up her face holding her nose, stumbling back into her seat.

"It burns," she groaned tears beginning to leak from her eyes. "From my nostrils to my head and now just my head. It feels like it's on fire."

The wizard rushed to her side and held her, stroking her back. "Just breathe."

"Easy for you to say," she replied taking a few more deep breaths through her mouth as breathing through her nose seemed to irritate it further. "Am I purple yet?"

Severus chuckled, "Not yet." He began to stroke the witch's head and she rested it on his stomach.

"Thank heavens," she said. A few minutes passed before the pain began to subside, "I just feel like I have an awful headache now."

"That's not so bad," he replied. "I think you should stay with me tonight so I can monitor any side effects, I wouldn't want you dying in your sleep."

"How sweet," she teased.

"You call it sweet, I call it not wanting to face the fury of your Uncle."

Lyra pulled away from his touch at the mention of her Uncle, remembering their discussion. "I can get Madam Pomfrey to monitor me," she said, "I'd hate to keep you up through the night."

"I'd be more comfortable if it was me."

"You have classes in the morning," she protested.

"I wouldn't be able to sleep not knowing whether or not you were ok."

Her heart lodged itself into her throat and butterflies began to flutter in her stomach. She looked up at the concerned eyes of the Potions Master and nodded.

"Come," he said, "Let's have dinner."

Severus extended a hand to her and she took it, her fingers slipping so easily into his almost like his hands were a perfect match for hers. She let go before they left the room, not needing rumours to follow the two as they walked to the staff room together but she wondered if he knew what effect his touch had on her. She had tried to be so careful and to keep her distance but quickly she found herself slipping into old habits, falling back in love with the man.

The two ate and engaged in conversation with their colleagues, discussing the progress of her experiment as well as gossiping about students. Professor Kettleburn dropped by and gave Lyra his research into the pathogen that caused Psyrot. Her fingers were crossed that their current hypothesis would be correct. They dwelled in the staffroom for a while, continuing to exchange some small talk before the two wandered off to her quarters.

"You won't be able to take your regular potion," he said as they entered the classroom, "It would ruin the results."

She nodded and paused for a moment to turning to address the Potions Master. "Sev, thank you for giving me the draught."

"You needed it," his brow furrowed unsure as to why she was thanking him. "You should've just asked. I told you, I would I always have it on hand for you."

"I know," she frowned. "It's just that I stopped needing it for a while and we weren't talking so I thought-"

"Lyra," he said firmly, closing the gap between them. "I still care about you, I don't think I could ever stop. That's why I've been helping you out, it's not just because you're my colleague but because I love you."

Confessions of love were supposed to be received with happiness but in all honesty, the expression just saddened her. She knew she loved him too but it all just seemed too complicated for a real relationship to be shared between them.

"What happened to the girl who said she didn't care about blood purity?" he asked, stroking her face.

She jerked away from his touch, her feelings of sadness quickly turning to anger. "Don't mention something I said a month ago and try to twist it into me rejecting you. You're the one who said pursuing this would be unwise. You can't be so hot and cold and expect me to still be there waiting for you."

Severus gritted his teeth as Lyra's emotions began to unwind. He took the anger that was seething from her words. He wasn't sure of what else to do, his eyes looked down in shame knowing that he was responsible for her outburst.

"Do you know how much you're fucking with me right now?" she yelled, "I've been keeping my distance, trying to get over my feelings for you and now you're back here again, touching me, telling me you love me and getting me to feel all this shit for you. You got me to confess how I felt about you and then you tell me that you fucking love me, not once but twice, and make me think that maybe we could be good together but then you take that little bit of hope that I have for us and you squash it. You deny it and it fucking hurts." Tears began to spill from her eyes, "I can't do this, Sev. I can't."

He wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "I'm sorry," and that was enough for her. She allowed herself to continue crying into his arms, the sobs that wracked through her body moved him as well and he felt the pain that he had caused her. Over and over again he whispered "I'm sorry," and that seemed to calm her along with his fingers that were caressing her back.

"It's not fair, Sev," she mumbled into his chest.

"What's not?" he asked, pulling himself away slightly so she could peak her head out and speak.

"You can't just play with my emotions like that," she said, "I care about you and I want to be with you and I'm scared too but I'm not leading you on."

He nodded, his lips pressed against her head. "I never intended to hurt you."

"I wanted us to try," she muttered, "I wanted to see if it would work, to see if it was real and then go from there."

"I'm willing to try," he replied.

"You have to be honest," she said.

He nodded, "You can't walk away if it gets too hard."

"Ok."

"Ok," he repeated, kissing the girl on the forehead. In his mind he whispered promises to himself that he would protect her and that this time he would succeed.

Lyra looked back up at the wizard who was affectionately kissing her and gave him a faint smile. She pulled him close to her, pushing herself up onto her tiptoes to close the gap between their lips. They kissed deeply for a moment before parting.

"You need to sleep," he said.

She hummed in response, "Shower first?" She sucked in her bottom lip as she looked up at him, her eyes laced with desire.

"I feel as though this is how you always con me into sleeping with you."

"Con you?" she asked playfully.

He hummed happily as his lips met her neck and began to nip her exposed flesh with his mouth. "It always seems to be the shower or the bath."

She exhaled a small laugh, "I don't think it's a con. This is merely the payback I said I would owe you for mentoring me in potions. Plus if you're going to stay up all night looking after me I think I should make it worth your while."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really." Her hands began to undress herself and she discarded her robes on the floor. Left in her underwear, she pulled away from the man and entered the ensuite attached to her bedroom. He followed behind, using his wand to quickly undress himself not having the patience to undo every single one of his buttons.

Lyra switched the shower on and turned to face him, her fingers unlatching her bra and allowing it to drop. Severus approached, now in only his briefs and began to unleash an onslaught of kisses on her lips, chin and neck. His hands made quick work of their remaining garments and he scooped up Lyra, wrapping her thighs around his waist and carrying her into the shower.

Lyra giggled as Severus mouth tickled her neck and the water soaked them both, dampening their hair. He pressed her body against the wall as leverage, one hand remaining firm on her thigh whilst the other appreciated her breasts. He groaned as his cock began to stir, "Fuck, I've missed you."

Her arms remained wrapped around his neck with one of her hands buried loosely in his hair. Severus' hand reached between them, wrapping around his cock. He shifted her weight up, positioning his member at her entrance before letting her slide down its length. She moaned loudly as he gripped her thighs, lustfully fucking her against the shower wall.

Lyra's eyes were squeezed tightly shut as his hips assaulted hers, drawing out sounds of pleasure with every thrust. Severus watched her, his eyes greedily taking in every aspect of her. The way her face was twisted in bliss and how her body looked with water droplets cascading down them. Passionately, his face approached hers and their lips met. Lyra moaned into the kiss, attempting to kiss back but her head would pull away as she audibly expressed her body's desires.

Severus' arms grew tired so he slid out of his lover and lowered her to the ground. Wordlessly, he guided her to turn around, her hands rested on the tiled wall and her back curved perfectly back so her ass was in the air ready for him to enter again. With ease, his member slid back into her pussy and he began to fuck her furiously. His hands were allowed to wander freely and they settled on her breasts, his fingers pulling at her nipples earn loud moans of approval.

Lyra's hand slid down between her legs and she began to rub the sensitive bundle of nerves that rested between them. The pleasure she felt from the combined stimulation of her nipples and cunt made her back arch further, pressing herself firmly against the wizard. Severus took this as an offer, one hand abandoned its post relenting on the nipple torture and instead appreciated the curve of her ass.

He groped it, enjoying the feel of her firm flesh then he slapped it, resulting in a moan of surprise. He felt the walls that surrounded his cock twitch in excitement. Smirking to himself he continued to spank her as he plunged in and out of her. He had an overwhelming desire to turn her skin red but he also wished to come.

Lyra's pussy continued to twitch as she neared her orgasm. It was beginning to bear down around him and the sounds that were spilling from her lips were intoxicating. He felt so close and knew she was too but was afraid that he would come before she did. "Lyra, I'm not going to last. Sweet Circe, your cunt is so tight."

Those words drove Lyra right over the edge, a strained moan escaped her as she came hard. A few more thrusts and Severus joined her in the throws of orgasm, filling her with his seed. He slid out and pulled her body close to his to support her in the unsteadiness of her orgasm afterglow.

Her head nuzzled into his chest allowing the water of the shower to soak her hair and clean her body. She pulled away and kissed him before reaching for her bottle of shampoo. She lathered his hair, styling it into a mohawk she giggled at her creation before beginning to wash her own hair.

"Am I allowed to rinse this off?" he asked.

"No, I think the mohawk suits you," she replied, "It's very muggle punk."

He rolled his eyes before dipping his head under the water. Next Lyra reached for the bar of soap. Severus allowed her hands to roam his body, covering him in suds before rinsing them away. He returned the favour, taking particular care in soaping her more intimate areas. His finger lingered on the puckered star between her cheeks and he leaned in to whisper, "I can't wait until I get to fuck this hole too."

She felt heat grow in the pit of her stomach at the suggestion of his words. The sweet baritone of his voice saying something so vulgar seemed to accentuate her reaction, her face flushed and her eyes cast downwards afraid to meet his.

"Horny again already?" he asked, "Surely this isn't a side effect of your treatment."

"It's a side effect of your words," she quipped. "I think you're ruining the results of my experiment."

"I'll stop then," he suggested withdrawing his touch and earning a glare from the witch. "How is your head?"

"Fine," she shrugged.

"Let's get you to bed," he said as he stepped out of the shower.

Severus reached for his wand and with a few waves he switched the shower off and non-verbally dried their bodies. Lyra slipped into her pyjamas whilst Severus redressed into his robes, claiming that if he got comfortable he would want to sleep too.

"Could you lay with me until I fall asleep?" she asked as she slid into bed.

He nodded, "Do you have anything I could read?"

"A few healing books here and there," she said, "Make yourself at home. You can read my report too and let me know if it sounds alright."

Her eyes were heavy and she began to slip into sleep before he even joined her. She did fight it briefly, wanting to enjoy his company. She felt his weight shift the bed slightly and she mumbled, "Sev, you know I love you too, yeah?"

He stroked her hair, brushing it out of her face. "No, but I'm glad."

"I love you, Severus Snape."

"Side effect of the inhalation of Venomous Tentacula juice includes horniness and confessions of love."

She laughed, "I'm serious, Sev."

"I love you too, Lyra Lestrange."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen - Administration**

Somehow, Severus managed to keep himself up through the night to ensure that Lyra survived the dose of venomous tentacula juice. From his extensive knowledge of potions and poisons he suspected that the witch would be fine but one hand remained firmly in his pocket clutching a bezoar on the slim chance that he was wrong. Every so often his eyes would glance downwards to check that she was still breathing, usually drawn by her stirring in her sleep.

Severus' eyes grew heavy as the night passed. The steadiness of Lyra's breath tempted him to sleep but he found himself on his feet pacing, keeping his blood circulating to keep himself awake. Eventually he gave in to the use of Wideye Potion and took up Lyra's offer of reading materials, sneaking into her office to browse. There he found her draft report along with the copious amounts of notes she had made over the weeks she had been working on the solution.

He gathered the sheets of parchment and sat himself down near the sleeping witch. Just flicking through the pages was telling. Her messy scrawl covered the pages notating and questioning her own ideas, constantly refining her thoughts. She had made notes of each meetings she had with Kettleburn, Sprout and himself. He took particular interest in her writings of their meetings together, he smiled to himself as he noted the small doodles of animated love hearts that she must've absentmindedly drawn as he taught her. In amongst the pages were evidence of her frustrations with herself, times where her brilliant mind had become stuck highlighted by a furious scribble.

Severus found himself admiring and falling for the witch even more as he saw into her mind. He took a quill and shared his own insights on her draft. He hoped that her research would be successful knowing the effort and soul she poured into it. For a moment his mind flickered and played with the idea of her researching the Dark Arts. If she truly had a passion for it and invested her time into it, the results would be devastating. He shuddered at the though ught and looked back down at the girl. He didn't believe there was a way she would fall back into it.

The Potions Master returned her papers and browsed her desk for other reading materials. He felt rather nosy shuffling through the drawers. He stumbled across moving photographs of herself with her family, Bellatrix and Rodolphus holding her as a young child then more recent ones of her with the Malfoy's. What surprised him the most was the fact that she only treasured photos of her family and that there was an obvious absence of images of her friends.

As he continued to dig through the drawers he revealed letters from her family and friends, her most frequent correspondent being her cousin Draco with short sentences and mundane topics. There were even letters in Russian which he longed to read, afraid that there might be something hidden in the foreign language but he pushed it aside and moved on to her healing textbooks.

They were thick and full of jargon, annotated by Lyra's writing in the margins and any empty space available. He flicked through and noticed that the notes were present on every page. He attempted to decipher the meanings but he admitted defeat as he realised that his knowledge of the human body and all its parts wasn't as vast as the witch's.

The books managed to amuse him until 7.30am when Lyra finally stirred from her sleep. She reached out and called him over, "Sev, I didn't die."

He smiled in amusement at the witch's dramatic tendencies. "I wouldn't let you," he said, taking a seat on her bed. "You're also not purple so I don't have to kill you which is nice."

She smiled back and groggily sat up in bed, "How'd you manage last night?"

"I went through your notes and draft," he replied, "I made a few notes myself and then I attempted to read your healing books."

"Those are some extra reading materials for more advanced healers," she said, "I was hoping it'd give me an edge over other trainees when it comes to apprenticeship."

Severus' face fell slightly, understanding that she was still playing with the option of leaving. It was far in the future but the prospect of her leaving saddened him as he doubted that once she left Hogwarts she would still want him. "Are you planning on doing that at the end of the school year?"

"I was," she said, her hands interlocking with his, "But I have a reason to stay."

He smiled faintly but her words and kind touch didn't seem to bring him any comfort. She seemed to sense this and leaned forward to give him a peck on the cheek before nuzzling into his shoulder. It was nice to have her near but he still had an unsettling feeling almost as though there was a slight possibility that she might not fully be his.

"Are you tired?" she asked.

He shrugged but he could definitely feel his body begging to rest. "Nothing a potion can't fix."

After a few moments of enjoying one another's company the two had breakfast and proceeded to teach. Severus required two more hits of Wideye to get himself through the day and sent Lyra a note to let her know that he would be retiring early. He prepared himself for bed as soon as the last class finished but was disrupted by the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher knocking on his office door.

"Hey," she said with a smile, sliding into the room. "Sorry to disturb you. I'm just letting you know that I might not be around for the weekend."

"Oh?" he said with a hint of shock. He had been looking forward to spending more time with her, preferably when they would both be awake.

"I'm heading to St. Mungo's to trial the treatment," she explained, "There's a few people in a real bad way and they're desperate for a cure. I've been owling them all day. I've already let Albus know."

Severus was not one to wear his heart on his sleeve but the disappointment was apparent on his face. Lyra took his hand, tangling their fingers together and gave him a firm squeeze.

"If you want you could come and help out?" she offered, "I'm not leaving until the morning."

"You want me to come?"

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, "I wouldn't want it any other way."

The sweetness of her words were enough for Severus' heart to skip a beat. He leaned down so his face was in front of hers and kissed her on the lips. He felt her smile against his lips and she wrapped her arms around him to embrace him. They parted and she was still smiling.

"Have you eaten?" she asked.

"I was planning on just going to bed," he said.

"Fair enough."

"Did you want to grab dinner and spend the night?"

"Is that a date?" she teased with a smirk.

"To the teacher's lounge? You deserve much better than that."

Lyra exhaled a laugh and the two exited his office. "Should I take you on a date?" he asked nervously, "I mean, do you want to?"

She smiled sweetly at the Potions Professor as they walked, "I don't mind."

After a few seconds of silence he nodded, "I will."

Happily, the two headed to the staff room for dinner. They ate and conversed with their colleagues, catching one another up on the latest school gossip and beginning to stress about the upcoming exams. Once they had finished they returned to the dungeons.

"Shower then sleep?" Lyra asked as she began to shed her outer layers.

"Does shower mean what you usually mean?" Severus smirked.

Her tongue darted between her lips and a smile formed, "It can if you wish."

"I wish," he said, his arms began to snake around her torso. He lowered his voice and whispered in her ear to finish his sentence, "For you to be mine."

"I'm yours," she whispered back. His lips pressed against hers and they kissed. Severus' hand crept up her shirt and groped her, teasing her breasts. Lyra's hands found themselves hastily undoing his shirt.

They were naked before they hit the bathroom, their bodies tangled in a kiss with their hands freely roaming one another's bodies. Severus guided them in and pushed her towards the sink countertop, his hands gripped the backs of her thighs and lifted her up. Their lips managed to stay attached to one another until Severus' hand dipped down between her legs and his fingers slid in so easily into her pussy.

With a few pumps in and out Lyra threw her head back moaning and begging, "Please, Sev, just fuck me."

As much as he wanted to tease her he decided against it. Instead, his hands moved from her pussy to his cock and guided it in. There was a moan of relief heard from both of them as he filled her. Roughly, he fucked her against the countertop, his hands firm on her thighs and hers were buried in his hair and clutching his back.

His mouth made its mark on her neck as he sucked and bit hard on her exposed flesh. He wanted her to be his and his alone. One of Lyra's hands reached down between her legs and began to rub herself to orgasm. He could feel her pussy clench down hard onto his member as she longed for her release.

"Sev," she breathed, "I'm gonna come."

"Who do you belong to?" he asked possessively.

"You," she moaned, "I'm yours, Sev. Fuck, I'm yours."

"Come for me," he growled.

A loud moan escaped her as her orgasm came crashing down. She swore more as she rode her orgasm out, her body convulsing as she came down. Once she finally relaxed, Severus pulled out of her and spun her around so she was leaning on the counter, her ass in the air.

Severus fingers teased her pussy and lubricated themselves with her arousal. He then pressed a single digit against the puckered star the lay higher up and forced his way in. Easily, it caved to the pressure and Lyra gasped at the intrusion. His other hand spread her cheeks and he admired how the tight little star gave way to his finger. Slowly, he pushed past the tight outer ring until it began to swallow it whole. Once he got it to the knuckle he moved it in and out slowly, watching for the woman's reaction to the new sensation.

Her eyes were squeezed tightly and small groans of pleasure fell from her tight lips. He continued to finger the hole before whispering, "You're still so tight."

"Mmm," she hummed.

"I want to fuck this tight little hole," he said.

She felt heat pool at the bottom of her stomach at the vulgarity of his words. All she could manage was to hum in response once again.

"I want to put my cock in your ass, Lyra," he continued to tease as he noticed the red tint that appeared on her cheeks. "I'm going to shag you speechless."

She moaned once again but this time it was from the intrusion of his fingers in her pussy. He had two fingers in her pussy and one in her asshole but it didn't feel like it was enough. She didn't feel as full as she did with his cock in her.

"More," she begged.

"You're a greedy little slut, aren't you?" he commented as he added another finger into her pussy. He could tell she enjoyed that as her walls spasmed at the name calling.

Another digit joined the single one in her asshole as the fingers in her cunt rocked in and out of her. It was met with some resistance but he took it slowly, wanting her to enjoy the experience. Lyra's hands were gripping the basin as his fingers fucked her closer to another orgasm.

"Sev," she moaned out, "You're going to make me come again."

"Then come," he said simply, stopping his movements.

"Sev," she groaned, trying to shuffle back onto his fingers.

He was amused to watch her hump herself on his hands, not seeming to get enough friction as she said his name again. His fingers began to thrust in and out as she whispered his name. Quickly, he brought her to orgasm before he pulled his fingers out of her sex, leaving the two in her ass there and held them up to her face.

"Look at the mess you've made," he said, making her blush even more. "Clean it up."

Hesitantly, Lyra's mouth open and took the soaked fingers into her mouth. She lapped up her juices from his hand as the fingers in her ass began to scissor and stretch her out. She sucked onto them hard as she felt pleasure at the movement.

"You have two fingers in your ass," he said, "Do you think you're ready for my cock?"

"Yes," she hissed.

Severus guided his cock into her pussy first, allowing her to enjoy the feeling of fullness for a moment. He pressed his fingers down and felt his cock through the wall. He just wanted to shag her brains out already.

He removed himself from her body, leaving her aching and fetched a bottle of lubricant from under the sink. As wet as she was, he knew it wasn't enough to suffice a proper shag. Thoroughly, he lubed his cock and then her asshole before pressing the tip at the entrance.

"I'll go slow," he said.

She nodded and her head turned around to look at him. He gave her a reassuring smile before pushing the tip in slightly. Her eyes closed in bliss and her head turned to face the wall once more.

Lyra could feel her asshole stretching to accommodate Severus' thick member. The sensation was unusual, it didn't feel painful or sensitive, she just felt as though she was being filled. Her ass was swallowing him so quickly and willingly that soon enough he was buried to the hilt.

Severus groaned as the tight hole swallowed him whole. The amount of friction was maddening, he wanted to move in and out quickly so he could come but he resisted. Instead, he allowed her to accommodate his size and felt her slowly relax under him.

"I'm going to keep going, alright love?" he said.

She nodded and with that he pulled out slowly before thrusting back in. He was wrong about the friction being maddening, it was the slow pace that was driving him more insane. It didn't help that she clenched a bit when he entered.

"Are you still ok?" he asked.

"Yeah," she mumbled, "It's just strange."

She looked back at him and he had sucked his lips. He nodded at her and continued the tortuous pace. Eventually, her eyes fell shut and moans escaped her. He took it as an indicator to speed up so he did.

Slowly, he built his pace until it became a regular rhythm. Once he reached it he knew he wasn't going to last. He had dragged out his orgasm for so long that when it finally hit him the relief was overwhelming. His pelvis jolted forward has he came into her.

With a pop he slid out and the two rushed into the shower to clean things up.

It was an odd feeling to be returning to the place she had resigned from only a few months earlier, particularly with her ex-Professor in tow. They had woken up rather early that day, managing to convince Professor Sprout to allow them to drain her Venomous Tentacula of all its venom. Once they had finished at the Greenhouses the two walked past the anti-apparition boundary and apparated to the reception area of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

The Welcome Witch's eyebrow raised at the sight of the pair. "Trainee Lestrange," the witch addressed her, "What are you doing here?"

"Thompson needed some help with the Psyrot cure," Lyra replied earning a glare from the blonde. "I'll just be heading to the second floor with Severus."

The wizard followed her as she tugged at his bicep, pulling him towards a set of double doors and down a corridor which lead to a set of rickety old stairs. The portraits all seemed to know her and she acted chipper on their ascent as they asked her how she was fairing. They stepped onto the landing of the second floor and Lyra pushed open the set of double doors which had a sign reading MAGICAL BUGS AND DISEASES.

The ward was completely full. It was obvious that they had magically extended the boundaries of the walls to accomodate more people. Most of the people in the beds were sleeping, no doubt under the effects of Sleeping Draught due to their affliction of Psyrot. Lyra made her way through with a sense of determination towards a group of young wizards in their signature lime-green robes.

"Lyra Lestrange," a young, brown-haired wizard addressed her. "Pleasure to see you."

She nodded and repeated the formalities back to the wizard. "Pleasure to see you, Thompson."

"Ah, Professor Snape," the wizard's arm stretched outwards, knocking Lyra aside in the process, offering his hand to Severus. His eyes didn't even move to acknowledge the gesture, he noticed Lyra grit her teeth at the man and decided that pleasantries weren't needed.

He recognised the boy from his years in his class, Jack Thompson. An arrogant Gryffindor that somehow managed to do well in Potions despite blowing up his cauldron in his third year. Severus' face remained sour before looking down at the wizard's hand and back up at him. The look was enough to get Jack to retract his hand and nod.

Jack turned to Lyra, "So what's this cure you've thought up?"

"Venomous Tentacula venom," she said, pulling an already diluted sample out of her pocket.

Jack rolled his eyes, "We want them to live and not be in more discomfort."

Lyra gave a very deep and dramatic sigh, "Look let's just see if it'll work."

Jack gestured towards a patient who was very much conscious, looking terrified at the suggestion. Lyra walked towards the frightened man and squatted in front of him, holding his hands.

"You're going to be fine," she said. "You're not going to die from this, you'll feel a slight burning sensation and possibly a headache but that should pass. Do you consent to this experiment?"

The man nodded and Lyra stood up, gesturing for Severus to approach. She passed the vial to him and extracted her wand. Tapping the side of his head, non-verbally she cast 'Viscera ostende' twice to reveal the man's brain. The sight shocked her, his brain was completely covered in worms, eating through the layers of his brain. She was surprised that the man was still upright.

With a nod to Severus, he heated the contents of the vial with his wand and held it in front of his face. "Inhale deeply," she instructed.

The patient followed her directions and his head recoiled. Severus stared at the man's face as tears began to spill from his eyes in reaction to the burning sensation that would be travelling up through his nose. Lyra watched his brain intently for a reaction.

Her eyes lit up.

After a few minutes the worms began to just dissolve in reaction to poison that was now in his bloodstream. Lyra wanted to jump up and down in excitement, to scream and throw herself into the arms of the man that she loved but she restrained herself. Instead she just looked up at him and smiled.

Her former colleagues were watching too, astounded at the effectiveness of the poison. They were quickly put to work in treating the patients, Severus instructing them on how to heat the vial to an evaporative temperature and Lyra watching on for any ill side effects. Severus went around, assisting the staff in administration but his bedside manner couldn't compare to that of Lyra's. He watched her in her element, taking care of those in need and he felt his heart grow fonder. Her kind words and gestures made his thoughts wander to what she would be like as a mother. She would be such a wonderful parent but he felt that smile fade as he thought that he would be an inadequate one.

Hours passed of the healing team administering Lyra's treatment for Psyrot. There were no ill side effects that had been observed and Lyra prayed that it would remain that way. She didn't need to be known as the witch who had killed off ill witches and wizards.

As the day drew to a close,the team of healers began to disperse, leaving Jack with Severus and Lyra whilst the others went to have dinner. The three of them were interrupted by a gang of journalists, bursting through the door. Somehow, word had gotten out that they had discovered the cure and The Daily Prophet wanted to get the exclusive.

"Is it true?" a young blonde woman with perfect curls framing her face had approached the healers, "You've discovered the cure for Psyrot."

"Yes, we have," Jack said confidently.

He peaked the interest of the journalist who extended a hand to him, "I'm Rita Skeeter, I would love to have exclusive publishing rights to your discovery."

"Why, of course," the wizard replied, allowing Rita to whisk him away and sit him down.

Lyra's eyes narrowed and watched the wizard, curious as to what he was going to say. Her eyes glanced up at Severus who noticed her inquisitive look and both of their eyes watched the man as he was interviewed.

"So, what lead to this breakthrough?" Rita asked.

"I, um," he began to stumble through his words, "I've been interested in discovering the cure since it first showed. I read a lot of books and stuff."

Rita nodded, jotting everything down on a roll of parchment. "And what is the cure?"

"Tentacula Venom," he said.

She looked impressed, "How did you manage that?"

"Well, you inhale it," Jack said.

"Still plagiarising other people's work, I see," Severus commented, "It's a shame you've always been such an awful liar."

Rita looked disgusted at Severus, "So you did it?"

"I did," Lyra said.

Rita's eyes widened, "A witch discovered the cure to Psyrot?"

"Magic isn't just for wizards," she replied.

"Of course not, dear," the journalist gestured towards the seat next to her. "Come tell me how you discovered it."

"I would much rather have a reputable journalist cover my story," Lyra replied, her eyes rolled. "Tell The Prophet to send someone better next time."

Rita huffed out of the room, her gaggle of colleagues following behind her. Severus felt a smirk creep across his lips in pride of what his - what was Lyra to him? His girlfriend? His lover? The pride faded as he stumbled across those words, unsure of the title the girl had in his mind.

"Why'd you do that?" Jack asked, confronting the Potions Master.

"Do what?" Lyra snorted.

"You ruined everything," Jack said, "I could've been-"

"I ruined everything?" Lyra cut him off, "Jack, you're nothing. You are completely incapable of independent thought and you're not going to take credit for my work this time. You can fuck right off."

Lyra turned around and left, Severus following closely behind. She ran down the stairs and transfigured her clothes as she went, keen to leave St. Mungo's behind. The two stumbled onto the streets of London and one of Lyra's hands found its way into Severus'.

"Where do you wanna go?" she asked him, turning around her eyes darted over the muggle look Severus had donned. She had never seen him in anything other than his usual midnight blue button up robes. He had a white dress shirt on, hidden under a dark blue pullover jumper and black trench coat. She felt her lower lip be sucked in as she took in his look.

"There's a lovely Italian restaurant near here," he said.

"Let's go," she replied, allowing him to pull her towards their destination.

They arrived to a busy but quaint little eatery in which they had to wait for a table briefly before sitting together in a little private booth.

"So is this what you had in mind for our first date?" she asked with a playful tone.

"Is that your way to trick me into paying for you?"

She smiled, "Maybe."

"I know you're not used to eating with muggles," he said.

"I am actually," she replied, "I actually used to come here all the time with some of the other trainees."

"Jack?"

She laughed, "He was way above that. He wouldn't get caught in anything less than magical."

"What is the nature of the relationship between you too?"

"Not a positive one," she said before pausing for a moment. Her lips pursed before continuing. "He'd take credit for my work and it's rather sexist at the hospital. They wouldn't believe that I did anything so they'd put me on paperwork whilst he climbed to the top."

"Is it really that bad?"

"I mean, yeah there are a few female Healers but they're in rather soft positions," she said, beginning to play with the rim of her water glass. "Nothing too high up unless it's more caring based positions, like my old boss was Miriam Strout who worked in permanent spell damage."

"The Longbottoms," he replied with a grim face.

Lyra's jaw clenched and nodded. Conveniently at that point in time they were interrupted by the waitress. They ordered their meals and a bottle of wine before relaxing back into conversation.

"That reporter was a real piece of work," Lura commented, "I've read her articles and books. Complete drivel."

"What about your plan for world domination?"

"I've already got that all worked out," she said smugly. "My friend, Gustav writes for The Wizarding Post . He's keen for the exclusive, plus the reach of The Post is much larger than The Prophet so it all works out for me."

The waitress arrived with a bottle of red and as soon as it started flowing the conversation followed suit. Genuine smiles were seen on the faces of both parties, lighting up Severus' usual dark demeanour. Any onlooker would've seen the couple and guessed that the two had been together for years, there was just an air of familiarity and comfort that hung around them.

When their food arrived and they were into their meal, Lyra noticed him eyeing her meal and extended a forkful if pasta to him. He followed the same gesture with his meal, Lyra looking deep into his eyes as she took the pasta into her mouth in an attempt to be seductive but she just ended up laughing, not taking herself too seriously.

The table was cleared and the waitress arrived with the bill. Lyra reached into her pocket to pull out her purse.

"What do you think you're doing?" the wizard asked eyeing her carefully as he too was reaching for his wallet.

"I'm paying, Sev," she said as she flicked open the slender pouch and pulled out some muggle money.

"You don't need to," he said, pulling out his wad of cash.

"Let's just go halves?"

His eyes narrowed at the suggestion but he relented, allowing the witch to pay for her half of the meal. As they left, Lyra's hand found its way into Severus' once more. Silently, they wandered the streets and took in the sights. The falling snow and people walking around. It was nice to just be able to walk around and hold the hands of the one you loved without fear of judgement or being found out.

Lyra glanced over to her partner and caught his eyes. He had been absentmindedly staring at the girl, allowing her to guide him around. She smiled at him before asking, "What's the plan?"

Severus stopped in his tracks and his hand released the witch's. He tucked it away into his transfigured coat. With a small sigh he exhaled, "We're probably due to go back to Hogwarts."

Lyra screwed up her nose, "We don't need to be back until tomorrow."

"Where do you want to go?"

Her eyes lit up at the possibilities that unfurled in her mind. "Anywhere as long as it's with you," she grinned. "I know a nice hotel," she winked before her face fell, "But I think Lucius knows I have a tendency to go there."

"We could go back to mine," he offered.

"You have a place?"

"It was my parents."

"We don't have to go," she said, afraid she had touched a nerve. "We can just head back."

"No, let's go," he said, extending a hand out to her. With no hesitation Lyra took his hand.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen – Playing House**

The two were pulled away from the streets of London to a large working class town named Cokeworth. The cobblestone streets were lined with brick terraced houses that looked as though they had been copied and pasted a million times over to fill the streets. The street lights where the witch and wizard stood were out, prompting the man to pull out his wand and the tip lit up. He walked towards the house that stood in front of them and the woman followed closely behind.

Severus opened the door and the two entered, the floor creaking as it took their weight. He flicked his wand upwards, illuminating the room with a small oil lamp. They had entered directly into the living room which was decorated rather poorly and much like the street, it looked rather worn. Lyra's eyes were drawn to the walls first, there were stacks of books lining them all bound in leather. She wondered whether they were muggle or magical but she couldn't read them in the poor light. There was a small fireplace and in front of it sat an armchair, a sofa and a small coffee table.

"It's no Malfoy Manor," he said.

"You said that about your quarters as well," Lyra commented.

"Perhaps I should've taken you there instead."

"No, no," she dismissed, taking his hand. "It's fine, Sev."

"I don't come here often. Usually I stay at the school even over the break."

'I can see why ,' she thought to herself. She sucked her lip in, trying to stop the words from spilling from her mouth. "I appreciate you welcoming me into your home."

"I forget that you're used to a life of luxury," he said, lazily he flicked his wand at the fireplace and pulled her towards the sofa. "Take a seat, I have more wine."

She let the comment slide by and simply followed his instruction; waiting for the wizard to return with two large goblets in hand. He passed one to Lyra and sat next to her. She smiled in thanks before their eyes both focused on the fire.

"What was it like growing up here?" she asked, breaking the silence between them. She noticed his jaw tense at the topic and immediately scolded herself for asking. It was obvious that he had a difficult home life and she just had to reopen those wounds. She pulled his hand into hers and apologised. "Sorry, you don't have to answer."

He sighed, "It was hard, Lyra. We struggled."

She nodded and looked at him while his eyes reflected the flames of the fire. She longed to know what was going on in that head of his but she didn't know Legilimency so instead she put her glass down and that hand met the other to hold his in an affectionate manner. The gesture managed to pull him from his memories and look over to her.

Her eyes were full of warmth and understanding. Her touch was full of care. Severus could tell that Lyra genuinely cared for him and he felt comfortable enough to continue. "My parents would fight all the time. It was mainly yelling but it escalated, soon he threw things out of anger and then it was him hitting her. I tried to intervene at times but I was only a boy. My mother knew magic but she didn't protect herself, she didn't protect me. I tried my best to protect her when I could but I wasn't there when it was at its worst."

"My mother could've had everything, she could've had a better life but she tossed it all away from him and I don't understand why. She was a pureblood and she left her family and fortune behind for my father just to live like a muggle and to die at his hands."

His eyes met Lyra's again and he felt his heart sink, "I don't want you to be like her and I don't want to be like him. I don't want you to throw away all you have for me."

"Sev," she said, "I love you."

"I'm sure my mother loved him too but things change, Lyra," his voice began to escalate. He tried to pull away but Lyra's hands kept a firm grip on his.

"Severus," she said, "You're not your father. You're nothing like him."

"You didn't know him, you don't know how I'm like."

"That doesn't matter," she said in a soft tone. She looked at him, her head tilted to the side with a warm, encouraging smile. She began to speak again when his eyes drifted back to her. "Sev, you can always change. People look at me and see my mother and father, and while I do look an awful lot like them and I can be just as cruel, it doesn't mean I have to be. We can change our future."

He looked away again. He couldn't stand staring into those brown eyes. They were so full of love and affection, he could dive in and get lost in the love that she had for him but he was scared. His doubt would weigh him down and he'd find himself drowning if he didn't try to keep himself out. It was just too much.

Severus wanted to believe those words. She made everything sound so sweet and simple. He knew she wasn't naive but it was so hard to think that maybe she was right. He had been stuck in the same pattern of thinking for years, distancing himself from others, telling himself that he was inadequate and unworthy of love but Lyra made a small part of himself believe that maybe he could be worthy of her affection.

"I killed him," he said. He didn't know what made him admit it. He felt the truth weigh on him a million times before but he had never voiced it before. Maybe he hoped it would drive her away but it didn't. Her eyes remained warm and kind even at the face of the evil he had committed. "The Dark Lord wanted me to prove my loyalty."

"How did you feel?" she asked.

"It was easy," he replied. All the tension in his face was gone but his look had a hint of disgust, almost as though he hated himself for thinking that way.

"I've never killed anyone before."

"You should try to keep it that way," he said, "Once you tear your soul like that there's no going back."

"I hope I never have to."

"One day you might have to. What will you do if the Dark Lord returns?"

She swallowed hard before reaching for her wine. After a sip she spoke, "When I was younger I was convinced that he would return and I'd be reunited with my parents."

"I recall."

She smiled at the memory of her youth but her face dropped as she continued. "Back then I was convinced I'd join."

"But now?"

She pressed her face against the goblet, almost to hide her face. She exhaled deeply before answering. "I don't want to believe he'll come back."

"It's naïve to think he won't."

"I know," she frowned. "I don't know what I'd do. I haven't allowed my mind to dwell on it for too long, I'd just tell myself that he won't, that it's been ten years and there's no sign of him."

"Albus told me there have been whispers."

"There always have been, you were there when the inner circle wanted to bring him back. Even my mother told me seek him out when I became of age."

"And why didn't you?"

She scratched the back of her neck in frustration, "Because I decided to stop pursuing the Dark Arts and I just didn't want to believe it."

"You were scared, you still are."

"Aren't you?" she asked, "Where will your loyalties lie when he returns?"

"I have nothing to be scared of," his tone was venomous and threatening, cautioning Lyra to back off of the subject.

She smiled at the ferocity of his words. "You don't trust me."

Despite her outward appearance, relishing in the moment her heart ached. She wanted to shatter and cry at the knife in her chest so she looked away. Severus didn't answer her statement, instead he continued to stare at the flames as he took a deep sip of his wine. Lyra too drank, allowing the tension to hang between them.

"I don't expect you to trust me," she said sadly after a few moments, "It'd be naive to and I'll admit that I'm a bit disappointed but I understand."

"Lyra," he said, "He'll use these memories as a weapon."

"I know," she said.

"I'd like you to learn Occlumency again," he said, "We never finished our lessons."

She nodded and threw back the rest of her wine. She sunk back into the chair and allowed the warmth of the fireplace and the alcohol pumping through her veins lull her to sleep.

Severus sighed to himself upon the observation that the witch had fallen asleep. He reached out and touched her, hoping that it would wake her but instead her wrapped around his own and held on tightly. Her unconscious gesture tugged at his heart and internally he admonished himself.

Falling in love with Lyra was a mistake. Placing himself in the position to was a mistake. It was so blatantly obvious to him in that moment that their whole relationship was destined to fail from the start but for some unknown reason he had allowed himself to be whisked away on this turbulent romance and now she was here, where no other woman had been in his childhood home, sleeping on his couch.

He convinced himself it was just the sex. That he didn't really love her but her body. Her lips, her touch, her sweet pussy wrapped around him. The flush that would appear across her cheeks whenever he said something vulgar. Even when he was reminding himself of those times of passion he could feel his cock stir but his head must've got the messages mixed up because he felt his heart beating out of his chest as well.

He loved her. There was no denying it.

At the mere mention of her name he could picture her face smiling up at him and his heart would tug slightly. He'd even hear her sing out his name. Sev. Severus. Gods, how sweet and safe did it sound in her mouth.

He could fall deeper and deeper in love with her, just at the thought of her.

It was problematic, to say the least. Even Albus himself had asked about the nature of their relationship after seeing that they had spent a great deal of time together. He had discouraged it completely, particularly after sharing information about the Dark Lord's whereabouts.

"Severus, it had come to my knowledge that a piece of Voldemort's soul has been residing in Albania," Albus said as he sat at his desk. "Soon, the time will come where I will have to ask you to spy for the order."

"Of course," Severus replied.

"I am, however, apprehensive about the nature of your relationship with Professor Lestrange."

"What do you mean?"

"You and Lyra seem to be rather… close."

Severus remained silent, allowing Albus to continue.

"It worries me, Severus," he said shaking his head, searching deep in his eyes. Severus' mind was shielded well from the effects of Albus' Legilimency. "As good hearted as Lyra is, I fear that when the time comes to it she will side with her family and I don't want you divulging all our secrets to her."

"I wouldn't dare," Severus replied.

"Ah, but Severus you are in love with her and love is a fickle thing."

Severus didn't believe that their love was fickle, he felt as though it was constant it was just the feelings and circumstances around it that changed. He felt as though if there weren't so many external pressures maybe they'd have a chance together. He knew it was wishful thinking because the issue was no longer the fact that she was the niece of his close friend or that she was the pureblood daughter of two the sacred 28. It was the fact that the Dark Lord would return and her entire family were loyal to him and if they were loyal she would be too.

Where would she hold her loyalty to him?

Would their bond of love override what she had with her family?

No. Probably not. Severus knew this and it was a difficult pill to swallow. He couldn't trust her.

There was a part of his mind that hoped that Lyra was right, that the rumours of Voldemort's existence were just rumours with no substance but Albus had been adamant that they were true. He just wanted his relationship with Lyra to work out. No one could compare to her. She was beautiful and sweet, kind-hearted and intelligent.

He thought for a moment whether or not if he had fallen for another woman that was separate from the Death Eaters whether or not it would work out. No, she too would be used against him in the same way Lyra would be. At least Lyra had a fighting chance, he could train her to protect their memories of them together because now not only was she his weakness but he knew that he would be hers as well. Occlumency lessons seemed to be the way to go. It would allow him to see what she truly felt about her as well as give her a chance to stand up to the Dark Lord if it came down to it.

Slowly, he finished his glass as his mind continued to whir about the future. He set down the now empty glass and placed a free hand on her back to gently rouse her from her sleep. He guided the witch in her half-asleep state up the stairs and into his bedroom. His worries faded as quickly as she had shed her clothes, lust overcame the thoughts in his head. She slipped under the covers, dressed only in her underwear and once hidden she undid her bra and dropped it onto the floor.

"Why are you trying to maintain your modesty now?" he asked as he slid into bed with her.

"You might see my breasts and want to shag me," she said as he pulled her into his arms.

He couldn't help but cup her breasts that she had just freed. His erection was obvious, already poking her backside. "I think it's too late for that," he whispered.

She moaned as his fingers pinched her nipples and his mouth found its way over the marks he had left the night prior. "Lyra," he whispered, "I just want you to be mine."

"I'm yours, Sev," she said.

"My love," he hummed against her skin.

She moaned in agreement, her hips grinding back against his member.

"I think I've warned you about grinding on my cock before," he breathed, tugging on her nipples a bit more roughly.

"Are you going to tie me up again?"

"I might just have to spank you instead," he said, "Don't think you learned your lesson the first time." He could hear her swallow at the thought. "I could get you so worked up with my words, couldn't I? I could tell you how I'd bend you over my lap and spank you until your bum is red and you could probably come at the mere thought. Who knew I had such a dirty girl on my hands?"

"Sev," she breathed, getting worked up from the simultaneous stimulation of her mind and her nipples. There was a coil of heat building in her stomach that she just knew was causing arousal to pool between her legs.

"Yes, my love," he said.

That endearing nickname gave her butterflies everytime he said it. It made it so much harder for her to get her words out. "I want you," she whispered.

"You'll have to be patient," he said, "I want you to be begging for me to fuck you before I let my cock anywhere near your cunt."

He knew every button push to have her writhing in his arms. His hand dipped down and slid underneath her panties, rubbing around her clitoris. Desperate high pitched moans escaped her as he just kept circling the swollen nub whilst pulling at her sensitive nipples.

A fire was raging in her core, hot flames licked at her clit as it became overbearingly sensitive. She strained against his touch almost as though she was trying to get away from it but god, did she love the pleasure it brought.

Severus didn't even need to check whether or not she was wet. He could feel it flooding her panties to the point where his fingers were coated in her juices despite not navigating anywhere near her aching hole. Squeals began to build in her throat as the stimulation of her clitoris continued.

He left it alone and pushed a single digit into her soaked entrance and wiggled it around before leaving it there unmoving. Her hips began to buck up into his hand and he could feel her pussy twitch and squeeze around it, desperate for her release. A few more thrusts from the girl against his steady hand and she came hard around the finger, the walls pulsing tightly around it.

"Did I say you could come?" he asked in a threatening tone. Her pussy clenched again at the sound of his voice.

"No, sir," she said, her voice weak and wavering from her orgasm.

His cock twitched at her address. They hadn't formally discussed any dominant/submissive agreement but it was obvious that she enjoyed playing with the idea. "I'll have to punish you for that, my love."

Goosebumps covered her skin. She didn't know if it was from Severus' nickname for her or because he had pulled the blankets off, exposing her skin to the cool air. She moaned in agreement and he pulled his finger out, bringing it up to her lips and allowing her to suck her juices off. "I want you face down, ass up," he said.

She followed his instruction and felt his hands pull her underwear off. She then felt the material being used to mop up her arousal and then slowly be pushed into her pussy. Her heart raced at the thought, 'Gods, how humiliating.'Her stomach was doing backflips in apprehension of what was about to come.

His hand started to caress her backside, appreciating the natural curves. A finger slid down between the cheeks, lingering and circling around her puckered asshole. Severus raised his hand and brought it down onto her right cheek.

"Ah!" she exclaimed in surprise.

He did the same again, this time on the left and this time she moaned out. He was cautious as he continued, wanting to turn her plump ass red but also not wanting it to hurt too much but he couldn't help it. Each one of his harder slaps caused her to moan out. He persisted with the slaps until her cheeks were a nice pink colour.

He shifted around and kissed the now tender skin. He lay kisses all around before kissing the tight star. He allowed his lips to remain there longer than the other kisses. His tongue darted out and Lyra was surprised at the intrusion.

Her eyes were shut tightly, focusing on the feeling of his tongue flicking at the hole. As she relaxed into it she found that she enjoyed it, it wasn't a feeling that she could get off to but the thought that her lover was taking pleasure in appreciating every inch of her was nice. He definitely seemed to be enjoying it, showing great enthusiasm during the act.

It was now Severus' time for pleasure, he pulled her panties out and pressed them against her mouth. Hesitantly she took the soaked garment into her mouth and felt Severus' cock pressing at her entrance. It was obvious she was too dry to take him in so to warm her back he sucked on his thumb briefly before pressing it against the puckered hole he had been appreciating only a few minutes before.

Lyra's asshole gave way easily to the thick digit and she let out a muffled moan. He wiggled his thumb around, even pulling it out slightly before pressing it back in. Lyra's hips thrust back into the movements, wanting more friction. Severus pressed the tip of his cock at her entrance once more, feeling that it was slick with her arousal again he pressed in.

She gasped at the feeling of his length slowly sliding in and filling her. One hand gripped her hips as he pumped in and out, occasionally pressing his thumb down to stimulate his erection. He groaned at the stimulation, her walls contracting around him as he fucked her.

Lyra reached down, pressing her face into the mattress to try and get leverage on her clit. She rubbed it fast as Severus pounded her from behind. She screamed as she came, her underwear still stuffed in her mouth absorbing the sound.

He continued the steady rhythm. In and out of her pulsing pussy. He reached down and removed her panties, discarding them so she could breathe. Her lips were pressed together tightly, she was humming a song of pleasure as he hammered her.

She flicked her bean once more, desperate to come again. Her pussy was so wet she could hear him sliding in and out of her. She groaned in a mixture of embarrassment and pleasure, her cunt twitching again as she neared release.

"Wait for me," he said, speeding up his pace.

His movements were purposeful and hard. Each thrust reaching deep inside her. He could feel her quaking around him, trying to stave off her orgasm. Her fingers left her clitoris, instead desperately gripping the bed sheets in an attempt to keep herself upright and bracing herself from his onslaught. She tried to resist, yet despite the decreased stimulation she came hard once more with an exasperated moan.

She shuddered, her body twitching under him, wanting to give way. The walls around Severus' cock were milking him and with a few more thrusts he came deep inside her. He rolled to the side as Lyra's body collapsed onto the bed.

He pulled her close once more, their bodies covered in a sheen of sweat. Lyra was panting but soon her breathing steadied and the two surrendered to sleep.

The morning after was filled with peppered kisses. Lyra had awoken before Severus and unleashed her love on the man's exposed body. He awoke with a smile, happy to see his love laying in bed with him.

"Morning, Sevvy," she said, pecking him on the lips.

"You're usually never this affectionate when you wake up," he pointed out.

"I'm just happy," she said, "I want to wake up with you lying next to me every day."

"That can be arranged," he said.

Her eyes lit up, "Really?"

"We can use the floo to go between our rooms," he said.

She bit her lip and nodded, "I'd love that."

He hummed in agreeance, "Me too."

The pair remained in bed together until they decided it was time to get up. After searching through the bare and dirty cupboard in the Snape House she decided to quickly apparate to Diagon Alley for a few supplies. She was back after a few minutes, a few eggs and bacon in tow. Lyra pulled out her wand and began to make breakfast.

"Did Narcissa teach you how to cook too?" he asked, watching on from the table.

"Yeah," she said, "I also learnt a few tricks from Uncle Ted and Aunt Andy."

"The Tonks'?"

"Yeah, I stopped by for Christmas."

His eyebrows were raised, "Do Lucius and Narcissa know?"

She laughed, "They'd throw me to the curb if they knew. I only saw them just the once but they were nice. The sisters are still very bitter about everything that happened."

Severus felt enlightened by the new addition of information. Maybe there was still hope to sway Lyra onto the Order's side if she still looked to her mother's estranged sister as family.

She came and sat down next to him, serving the simple breakfast of bacon and eggs. For some reason it tasted better than anything he had ever eaten before. Maybe it was the company that was present, maybe it was because she made it, maybe she had spiked it with love potion. These were just theories going through Severus' head as he watched her as she flicked through the copy of the Daily Prophet she had picked up that morning.

"Gustav is going to be meeting me in Hogsmeade for an interview," she said, "In about an hour or so. Then I've got to write my paper and send it off to be published."

Severus nodded, his heart sinking a little. He had hoped that he would have the opportunity to spend the whole weekend with her but he did enjoy the day they had together. Once they finished eating they apparated into Hogsmeade and killed some time browsing the shops. As it inched closer to the meeting time, the two made their way to the Three Broomsticks.

Gustav was early, he was wrapped up in a brown winter coat, complimented by a red scarf. He beamed at Lyra, waving at her as he made his way over.

"Lyra!" he said enthusiastically.

"Gustav!" she pulled him into a hug. When separating she introduced her to Severus. "This is my friend, Severus. He teaches Potions at Hogwarts."

"Severus," Gustav repeated, offering him a hand. "My pleasure."

Severus gave a curt nod to the man whilst taking his hand. "I will take this opportunity to go."

"Go?" Lyra asked with a confused expression.

"Yes, I have to prepare for my classes," he said.

Lyra frowned, "I was hoping you'd stay, I mean you helped me with the cure."

"It was your brilliant mind that did all the work," he said, "I'll see you later."

"Ok," she sighed, pulling him into a hug. "You better come around tonight or I'll be knocking down your door."

He nodded and left.

"Boyfriend?" Gustav asked.

Lyra smiled, exhaling a small laugh. She shook her head, "We're just colleagues."

"Sure you are," he said, "And Syrin is just my housemate."

She rolled her eyes, "Can I get you a drink?"

"Just firewhisky thanks," he replied as he took a seat.

Lyra returned with two drinks in hand and he prompted her to go on a detailed spiel about the research she had carried out from start to finish. Once he had enough information for the article the two relaxed and began to chat.

"So how's the wedding planning going?" Lyra asked.

"Well, we've had to push it forward a bit," Gustav replied, "It's going to be April 20th."

"Oh wow, that's like two months away," Lyra commented, "That's not much time to get ready."

"Yeah, um, Syrin is pregnant," Gustav said.

"Congratulations!" she said excitedly pulling Gustav into a hug.

He gave a sheepish laugh, "Yeah, a bit of a surprise really but you can't help these things. We weren't planning on having kids for a while. It sort of screws up plans for Syrin career wise." Lyra frowned. "But this article with you should be big," he continued, "I really appreciate you asking me to cover it. I think it'll pay well."

"No problems," she smiled. "You should've seen the idiot they sent from the Prophet. She started interviewing the wrong person then was shocked when she found out I was the one who discovered it."

"Skeeter?"

"You're familiar?"

"She's only the worst journalist in Britain," he laughed, "Yet somehow she's the most famous. I don't know how anyone reads anything she writes, it rarely has any substance."

"No doubt she'll try and spin some bullshit story out of our interaction," Lyra groaned.

"Don't stress too much," he said, "I'll make you sound like an angel."

She laughed, "I know it's a difficult task but no one is as good as you."

He chuckled at her compliment, "Thanks Lyra."

"I'm hoping you pump out the article before she does," she replied.

"Yeah, I will," Gustav said, slinging back the rest of his firewhiskey.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty – Occlumency Lessons**

The hours were ticking by and Severus found himself nervously glancing at his watch. He didn't know whether he should floo into Lyra's room and potentially disturb her or wait for her to extend the invitation. It was nearing 8pm and he hadn't heard a peep from her.

He tried to preoccupy himself, of course. First, he stopped by at the staff room and engaged in some idle chatter with his colleagues. Lyra's discovery was obviously the hot topic and most were intrigued to see how it all went at the hospital. He tolerated the conversations for as long as he could before retreating to his dungeons.

He had marked all of his assignments, his lessons for the week were all planned, he even pulled apart his storage room, reorganising every ingredient and still no word.

Maybe she was just busy. She had an entire report to write anyway.

Maybe she had simply forgotten about him or maybe she had gotten too caught up in conversation with Gustav. Was he the author of those letters written in Russian?

He knew the name was definitely european but the man's accent didn't seem slavic. Gustav was a handsome man with classic nordic features; blue eyes, blonde hair, pale skin and a sharp jaw. He was also obviously a pureblood as well, having attended Durmstrang.

Maybe Lyra was considering Gustav as a possible husband to satisfy her family's demands.

Severus felt unsettled and a little bit heartbroken as he considered it. The doubts began to take a hold of him and he began to admonish himself. Severus couldn't compare to a man like Gustav, not only that but there would be no way her family would tolerate her tainting them family name like that. It was stupid to think that this whole thing would work out.

It was probably for the best.

If the Dark Lord came back and caught any wind of their relationship he would be done for. He wouldn't be able to tolerate placing Lyra in such a vulnerable position. She'd be tortured, raped and killed if there was even a doubt of his loyalty. It didn't matter that she was a Lestrange, she'd be used against him.

He couldn't stomach the thought.

Severus slammed the book he had been trying to read shut and got up, walking over to his wine cabinet. He pulled out a cheap bottle and uncorked it, settling himself in his armchair. He drank and drank, wanting the ache in his chest to subside.

He was nearing the end of the bottle as the room was lit from the emerald flames that appeared in his fireplace. The dark haired witch clambered out, dusting herself off as she did so. She smiled at the sight of her love but her face dropped slightly as she saw his stone expression.

"Everything alright, Sev?" she asked as she walked towards him. Her eyes darted to the bottle that was empty next to him and it she realised it wasn't.

"Fine," he said casually, nursing his drink.

Lyra hoped Severus would continue the conversation but he didn't seem interested. She felt nervous but sat down and tried to engage with him normally. "I was hoping you were going to come by earlier," she said, "I've only just finished my paper. I've owled it off along with Silvanus' so we'll see how everything goes."

He didn't respond, he just continued to stare at the same spot as he was before.

Lyra's hand reached out and touched his arm lightly, "What's wrong Sev?"

"This whole thing is a mistake," he said.

She sighed deeply before saying, "We're back onto this, are we?"

"Lyra, I can't be with you."

"Then don't," she stood up from the chair and returned to the fireplace.

"Look how easy it is for you to walk away. Already have someone else in mind?"

She stopped and laughed, "So this is because you're insecure."

"It's obvious that you have a thing with someone else," he said, "Gustav maybe? A russian friend?"

"What possessed you to think like that?"

"Lucius and Narcissa will surely be proud that their niece has found a nice pure-blood man to settle down with. It'll be a shame your parents can't come to the wedding. I guess Lucius could pull some strings at the ministry as he usual does for his darling Lyra. Imagine how much fun it'd be with Dementors as attendees."

Lyra took his torment with a fire in her eyes but she restrained herself. She knew he was drunk and pulled out her wand, ' accio sobering potion' she cast non-verbally and a vial flew into her hand. She pried the wine out of his hands and shoved the potion in instead.

He threw it back and looked dead in her eyes, "My statement still stands."

"You're an asshole, you know that?"

"As do you."

"Do you honestly think I'm fucking someone else?"

He didn't respond.

She returned to her seat and rubbed her eyes for a moment before looking at him. With a exasperated sigh she pulled his hand into hers, interlacing her fingers and said, "Sev, if you have concerns about our relationship then just tell me. I'll answer you honestly, I'll even let you go through my head if it'll bring you any comfort. I wish you could just trust me but I understand why don't want to or can't but I assure you that I'm yours and I only have eyes for you."

"What's your relationship with Gustav?"

"Just a friend," she said, "And he's engaged to be married and he picked up that we might be in a relationship rather quickly."

"We need to be careful," he said, earning a nod from the girl. "I went through your stuff."

"I gathered as much," she said, "Reading material for the other night?"

He nodded, "Who were the letters to?"

"Most of my friends from Durmstrang spoke Russian so when we write we just communicate in Russian," she replied, "Keeps it away from prying eyes like Lucius and Cissy. It was mainly Ilya gossiping about a friend and speaking about work. There was also some letters to Anneli, she's a cursebreaker, thought I'd get her to come in to help out with a class one day. If you want I can translate it word for word."

"It's fine," he said.

"Is that all you've been worrying about, Sev?"

"That and the Dark Lord's return," he said, "We wouldn't be able to stay together."

"Let's just pray it doesn't come to that," she replied.

"Lyra, if he ever found out about us-"

"He won't because you'll teach me occlumency and I will protect that information with my life," she interrupted.

"It's not that simple, Lyra," he said with a sense of urgency in his voice, "You may have shown an affinity to occlumency but that guard would need to be up constantly, no matter what your emotion, no matter what was happening to you. What if you're tortured, Lyra? What if you were being raped? Do you think you could hold that barrier up?"

Lyra remained silent, her jaw clenched as he spoke.

"You're not a child anymore, Lyra. You won't be able to depend on your family to bail you out of tough situations. You would be forced to join the Death Eaters, to torture and to kill. God forbid you rebel against him or fail on his orders. How would you be able to cope with seeing your Uncle tortured or your cousin? There's no telling what they would do to you. If they caught wind of any vulnerability you have they would expose it and use it to manipulate you."

Severus groaned at Lyra's stunned silence, "This is why I didn't want to have a relationship with you, Lyra. It is a weakness that will be manipulated against us. It was naive to indulge in this for so long."

"Then what do we do now?" she asked, her voice and chest felt so heavy. Lyra was surprised that the words even came out. "Are you going to obliviate me, Sev?"

Severus swallowed hard and look down into his hands. He knew he wouldn't be able to bring himself to do that, to erase all the happy memories he had with her. His stomach sunk and he felt ill considering what would happen to either of them if their relationship came out.

"Teach me," she urged. Her hand grabbed a hold of his upper arm and squeezed, tearing his vision from his hand and back up at her. "Sev, we need to try. Teach me occlumency. If it doesn't work then obliviate me."

"Lyra, I'd have to torture you."

She breathed in deeply, her breath stuttering on the intake slightly and breathed out loudly. Her hand pulled away and she sat up a little straighter in an attempt to feel more confident. "I know."

"Is it worth it?"

"Sev, it's either this or obliviate me now, isn't it?"

Lyra looked back over to the man whose eyes averted her gaze immediately. Both had a sickening churning in their stomachs and a sadness that overwhelmed them as they ticked over the possible outcomes for their future. Silence hung heavy between them for a few moments.

"I'll teach you," he said, "But Lyra, tell me, on the slightest possibility that the Dark Lord doesn't return would you go against your family to be with me?"

"Yes," she replied, "I don't want to deny myself a chance at happiness. I know, it's selfish but I haven't felt this way about anyone before." He looked over to her as she reached out once more, her hand settling for the arm of his chair this time. "Severus, I love you."

He gave her a sad smile and whispered, "I love you too, Lyra."

"We can make this work," she said, returning his smile.

Despite the fact that his head was telling him that she was much too young and naive to know what she was getting into he found himself trusting her and her sweet words.

Morning came, a dull green light pouring in from the windows in Severus' quarters. The wizard awoke with Lyra sleeping soundly in his arms. He glanced over to the clock on the wall and noticed that it was half past seven. He sighed slightly, knowing that the weekend was now over and he would have to spend his day teaching ungrateful children rather than spend the day with his love.

The sigh was enough to stir Lyra from her sleep. Her eyes remained closed and instead she wiggled back into his embrace.

"We should get up," he said, noticing that Lyra's pattern of breathing had changed.

"But you're so warm," she moaned.

He hummed slightly, "But it's time to get up, we've got classes in an hour."

"Can't we just call in sick?"

"That'd definitely keep our relationship under wraps."

She giggled slightly before yawning, "But I'm so tired."

"Should've thought that before keeping us up all night."

"You enjoyed it though," she said, rolling over and kissing him on the lips.

"Lyra."

"I fail to see you moving to leave the warmth of our bed."

"Our bed?"

"Your bed," she corrected herself.

"It is rather difficult to leave."

A tongue darted out between her lips and her eyes were ignited with desire.

"Now we certainly don't have time for that," Severus said, a smirk appearing on his lips.

"Oh really?" she asked, her hand trailing down his chest and feeling his half hard member. Her hands wrapped around it slightly, loosely playing with it in her hand. Severus' eyes had a menacing look, as if to say 'don't test me' but all that did was spur her on.

Lyra slid under the covers and soon enough, Severus could feel Lyra's tongue trailing the length of his member. He closed his eyes tightly as he felt the tip of his cock become engulfed by the warmth of her mouth. Her tongue swirled around before she took him deeper inside.

She worked slowly and sensually, her hand wrapped around the base of his cock, stroking upwards into her mouth as she sucked and teased the tip.

Once he was fully erect, Lyra pushed his hips back causing him to lie flat on his back and position herself between his legs. Severus pushed the covers back, wanting to watch the witch as she sucked his dick.

She had a playful look in her eyes as she continued her blowjob. Every so often she would look up at him and catch his eyes, smiling at him as she rubbed the length of his cock before taking him back into her mouth.

It was truly a sight to behold.

Her eyes drifted shut as she focused on his cock and his pleasure. Her hand wrapped around the base of his cock tightly and she began to bob her head up and down the shaft of his cock. He groaned as she looked up at him with his whole length of his cock was in her mouth, the end hitting her throat.

She continued to move her mouth up and down, her pace quickening to a point before becoming more steady. Severus could feel his orgasm coming, his hips beginning to strain off the bed and into her mouth. Her hands held him down firmly as she continued to suck him off and he came soon after.

Lyra swallowed and crawled back up to lie next to her lover, pulling the sheets back up over them. She snuggled into him and Severus' hand drew circles on her back. His eyes glanced up at the clock and he closed his eyes, wishing it would slow down.

"Neither of us will have time for breakfast," he said.

"I just had breakfast," she said, smiling cheekily at the man.

"Merlin," he breathed.

She lay kisses on his chest, then on his cheek. With a final peck on his lips, Lyra sat up in bed and began to get dressed.

"We'll start our lessons tonight," he said as Lyra finished pulling on her robe. "After dinner."

She nodded, "Ok, I'll see you then."

Lyra left his quarters through his fireplace with an unnerving feeling in the pit of her stomach. She showered quickly before her classes started, hoping that the water would wash her nerves away but they seemed to stick.

She looked at herself in the mirror and breathed slowly, employing the occlumency techniques she had learnt all those years ago.

Breathe.

Let your mind go blank.

Imagine your mind is a stream and your thoughts are debris that gently passes by.

Do not dwell on these thoughts.

Let go of your emotions.

Do not allow yourself to be consumed by your feelings.

With each breath let go of your feelings until there is nothing.

Lyra felt an overwhelming sense of calm fill her as she recalled Severus' words. Her heart and mind were still but that calm and quiet was fleeting. She felt it leave as she heard the bustle of footsteps entering her classroom.

Quickly, she used her wand to make herself presentable before rushing down the stairs to address the second years.

Through the day, Lyra practiced her occlumency techniques, separating herself from any emotion she felt. Whether or not it would be effective would be difficult to determine, she'd have to depend on Severus to be a witness to that.

Lyra knew she was no longer the girl she once was. As a teenager she was cunning and ambitious, motivated to pursue the Dark Arts and manipulate those around her but now as an adult she had become sensitive and vulnerable with the need to help others. She had broken down all the walls she had put up to allow herself to connect better with people and now she would have to put it all back up again. It was possible but it would be difficult, particularly when the person testing her resolve would be Severus.

That time came quickly. Her day had slipped away and after dinner Lyra found herself returning to Severus' quarters. She made sure that before she even entered her own fireplace that her mind was ready and on guard.

"Legilimens," she heard from a far corner of the room.

Lyra blocked the intrusion with ease, confidently walking towards Severus' shadowy figure. Her heart leapt slightly as she felt herself being drawn to him and Severus flicked through memories of them together. From her blow job that morning, to their shared night at his old home. He kept digging deeper and deeper, revealing her feelings towards him, the way her heart ached for him. Lyra tried to quell her thoughts and emotions but it was relentless.

"Shit," she said, closing her eyes and shutting their connection.

"Not good enough, Lyra," he taunted.

"I know," she opened her eyes looking into his once more. His black orbs seeming to gaze deep into her soul.

"How do you expect to defend yourself after being tortured, Lyra?" his voice was threatening, attempting to stir up emotions, trying to get her to fail.

"Go again."

"Legilimens."

His spell bounced off instantly, Lyra maintaining her nerve. She stared him down, empty of emotion, empty of her thoughts.

"Good," he said, "Now let's have a conversation and see how you fair. Sit."

Lyra took a seat in the armchair, angling it to face the other. She remained calm and composed as Severus did the same. He began to question her, asking her about her family and her relationship with them. Emotions came as quickly as the left, Lyra didn't dwell on what he was stirring, merely acknowledging each feeling as it passed. Her defense did not falter under the interrogation.

They spoke for an hour with Severus testing her intermittently through the conversation. Occasionally, Lyra would throw in a casual lie to see if it gathered any attention. They seemed to slip through unnoticed.

"Let's stop here," he said, "You've done well."

She sighed, exhausted from keeping it up for so long, slumping into her chair and her eyes drifting shut.

"It's not going to be easy, you know?"

"I know."

"Eventually it'll be second nature to you and you'll want to keep it up all the time."

Her eyes were kept tightly shut and she nodded.

"Come Lyra," he said. When she opened her eyes he was standing over her, his arm outstretched. "Let's get you to bed."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty Two – Happy Birthday**

There wasn't a day that went by over the next two weeks where Lyra didn't receive a letter. There were Howlers telling her how despicable she was for using the Dark Arts and long winded letters detailing why she didn't deserve her position.

In fact, Lyra was surprised that Albus hadn't fired her yet, as she was sure that he too would be on the receiving end of letters requesting her dismissal. He hadn't mentioned it to her or any other staff, they all seemed to be sympathetic about the situation. None of them harboured any negative feelings towards Lyra as they all knew her and had seen her grow, the only negativity they felt was towards the authors of the article and the numerous letters she received.

Lyra didn't mind the letters, she read every one of them and took every bit of criticism, using it to train herself and her emotions for her Occlumency lessons. Severus spent every night trying to pry open her mind and despite the insults she was receiving regularly, Lyra could manage to keep her mind closed.

Not every letter was harsh and critical. In amongst the complaints were letters of warmth and encouragement from her family and friends. They all gave her different advice to deal with it; Andromeda and Ted saying to keep her head down whilst Lucius claimed he had a way to enact revenge, all she needed was to say the word. She was curious as to what it entailed but decided to follow her other Aunt and Uncle's advice, waiting for the whole thing to blow over.

She was sure that the public would soon follow the same suit of her students. They would become less afraid and forget as their mind would become occupied with a new topic of interest. For her students it was the upcoming Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw match.

Lyra was sure her reputation had been damaged by the article but it didn't shake her. A tarnished reputation was something she was used to and she wasn't going to allow that to affect her anymore. No, she was happy. For the first time in her life she felt genuinely happy.

She had a man who loved her back and cared for her. She had a job which she enjoyed and allowed her freedom.

But there was still a part of herself that craved more.

You could call it her Slytherin ambition but really it had manifested from one of the many lessons that she learnt from her family; to never be satisfied by mediocrity, to push yourself to achieve nothing less than excellence.

And oh, how Lucius dangled excellence right in front of her with those words 'Order of Merlin'.

She could envision it. She could almost taste it. She had been so close and now she wanted it.

Lyra suspected that it was his plan all along, to drop the name of a prestigious award and allow the idea to worm its way into her head but why? To get her to quit her position at Hogwarts? To deter her from pursuing a relationship with Severus? To somehow gain his family prestige?

They all seemed like viable motivations and Lyra was sure that if she took him up on his offer to enact revenge it would all somehow play into his hand. Reluctant to be used by her Uncle, Lyra ignored his offer and instead she did what she did best, throwing herself into her work, focusing on her students and training her mind.

The Quidditch Match came and went, another success for Slytherin, and February came to its end, rolling into Spring. The letters were less frequent and the article seemed to be in the past. Lyra and Severus were closer than ever as they spent every night together. He would challenge her mind's ability to keep closed during tasks such as writing, cleaning and learning advanced potion making techniques. At times he could be a harsh teacher but when the lessons came to an end they would fall into bed with one another, occasionally exchanging passion.

Lyra's birthday landed on the third weekend of March that year and she was woken up by Severus pulling her close to his body, muttering "Happy Birthday" in her ear. She smiled and snuggled closely, relishing in the feeling of his arms wrapped around her, their naked bodies pressed against one another. Her hands interlocked with his and she drifted off to sleep for a brief nap before they woke fully.

"What do you want to do today, my love?" he asked as he played with her hair.

"I don't mind," she said, "We don't have to do anything particularly special.

"Maybe we should go out on a date," he said, "I haven't taken you out since that night in London."

"You don't have to take me out," she replied, "You don't even need to buy me a gift. I'm happy just being here with you."

"Too late," he reached over to his bedside table and reached into the drawer, pulling out a small square package.

She sat up and glared at him, "Severus."

"Lyra," he mocked, sitting up and handing her the gift. "It's not much but I hope you like it."

She pulled the wrapping paper off, revealing a simple black jewellery box. She opened it, revealing a silver chain with a small, light pink, circular stone sat in the centre. She smiled weakly at the necklace and said, "Sev, it's gorgeous."

"Not as gorgeous as you."

She exhaled a small laugh, "You really didn't need to get me anything."

"I know it's not fancy or anything," he said, "I mean you're probably used to more glamorous things, I've seen what Lucius gets Narcissa but I could never afford it."

She shook her head ferociously, "Sev, it means a lot."

"It's rose quartz," he said as she looked back down at the box, "There are many stories behind it from ancient civilisations from it being the physical manifestation of the gods gift of love to humans to it blooming from the blood of a god as she tried to save her dying lover."

Lyra took his hand and squeezed it before saying, "I hope you don't jinx our relationship by giving it to me."

He smiled at her jest before continuing, "Its actually also my birthstone, perhaps that's why I was drawn to it when I was searching for your gift."

"I can always carry a part of you with me," she said, "Help me put it on."

She held her hair up, exposing her neck. Severus removed the necklace from the box and hooked it around her neck, fastening the clasps together. It sat high on her chest, the stone resting where her clavicles met.

She turned away and gave him a kiss, "For good luck."

"I didn't know you were superstitious," he said.

"It's silly, I know but I don't want anything bad to happen to us."

"It looks great on you," he said.

Lyra reached for her wand and summoned a mirror so she could get a closer look at it. She touched it gently, "It's so pretty."

"It's not too boring or plain is it?"

"No, no, no," she insisted, "I love it, it's so simple and understated. Thank you, Sev." She waved her wand and dismissed the mirror before leaning over to kiss him. "I'm never going to take it off."

"Good because I've enchanted it to protect you," he said touching the stone. It glowed as his fingers pressed against. Lyra was unsure as to whether it was from his touch or whether it had briefly just caught and reflected the light in the room.

"It's only a small stone," he explained, "So it can't hold much magic but it should be able to protect you from basic curses and ward off your nightmares. Apparently the magic works best if the wearer is in love with the giver."

"It should work well then," she said, "Oh, Sev, it's perfect. Thank you." She kissed him once more, wrapping her arms around his neck.

The kiss was long and as their lips lingered, desire overtook Lyra and she climbed on top of Severus. She sat on his thighs, each leg on either side of him as Lyra's tongue dared to venture into his mouth. His tongue fought back and they played with one another as their hands roamed one another's bodies.

Lyra's ran down his chest, appreciating his pecs and flat stomach. Severus' caressed her curves from her waist to her breasts. His attention was captured by her nipples, standing erect from the arousal. He pinched and pulled, and Lyra moaned against his mouth. She wrapped her hand around his half hard cock and teased it in a similar manner as he was to her nipples. She made slow gentle strokes, teasing and massaging the shaft.

Once he was fully erect Lyra coaxed him to lean back and he relaxed into the bed. His head was propped up against a pillow, alonging him to watch as Lyra shifted her weight up onto her knees. One hand was wrapped around his cock, holding it upright and guiding it into her pussy as she slowly sank back down.

His eyes were focused on her, enchanted by the way she moved her hips to the way her tits bounced with each movement. Her eyes were closed as she ground their sex together, occasionally fluttering open and gazing into his. Those dark eyes were full of lust, complete desire for her and her body.

Lyra rode him until she came, she panted, moans spilling from her as she came. Her body shuddered from the shock of the orgasm and her pussy clamped around him, yearning for his seed but he wasn't ready yet. Her movements slowed and she rolled over to lie in bed next to him.

Severus stood, moving to her side of the bed, tugging at her legs and pulling her body so her hips sat at the edge. Lyra watched him now, her tongue darting out and wetting her lips as they caught one another in an intense gaze. He kept his eye contact even as he slid deep into her, watching her eyes roll back slightly and her eyelids shut as his cock pumped in and out, Lyra's hand reached down between her legs, teasing her clitoris as he continued his assault. He could feel her pussy clenching around him as she craved another orgasm. He reached down and pinched her nipples hard, the stimulation driving her nearer. Soon, she unravelled, another moan escaping from her.

Severus continued, his fingers released her tender nipples and instead groped at the flesh of her breasts and greedily pressed into her curves. Lyra's moans continued, breathing a small one out with each thrust, her body overstimulated from his persistence. His pace quickened and he to came not long after, spilling his seed inside of her.

Lyra's wand was still floating on top of the sheets, she reached over and cleaned up the mess before they slid back into bed, basking in the aftermath of their orgasms. She peppered kisses on the side of his face as they spoke, whittling away an hour before they decided to get out of bed.

It was still rather early in the day; early enough for them to catch breakfast. They carried out their usual routine of Lyra flooing back up to her room and coincidentally seeing one another at the high table. Yet again, there was a large pile of letters awaiting her and as she pulled her chair out to sit down she heard several other chairs follow suit.

She glanced around the room and each person in the room was now standing, looking at her. Filius took the lead and lead the group to sing 'Happy Birthday'. She looked around and smiled, her face turning a delightful shade of pink as they continued to sing. Her smile grew as she locked eyes with Severus who was merely mouthing the words with a plain face.

"This is awful," she mouthed to him.

He smirked and whispered, "This is why I don't allow anyone to see me on my birthday."

Lyra let out a small laugh and allowed her attention to be drawn to the giant cake that floated in front of her. The song reached its conclusion and the staff and students began to cheer. She leaned over and blew the candles out before comically bowing and waving to the audience.

Before Lyra could breathe a sigh of relief and take a seat, she felt a hand gently sit on her shoulder. She turned around and her eyes meeting the twinkling blue of the Headmaster.

"May I have a word?" he asked.

Lyra nodded and followed him out of the Great Hall. Albus stopped just outside the door and waved his arm around the two of them, casting a privacy barrier despite the hallways being clear.

"As Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, it is my honour to invite you to receive an Order of Merlin for your contribution to the Healing Arts and discovery of the cure to Psyrot," he said.

"What?" Lyra asked, slightly dazed by the statement.

"You're being awarded an Order of Merlin, Lyra," he said, "Happy Birthday."

And with that he turned on the spot and left the witch there to process what had happened.

She was frozen, her mind reeling, trying to make sense of their conversation - if one could call it that. She didn't allow herself to become overwhelmed with her emotion, the excitement and disbelief subsided and instead her mind questioned the situation.

Was it a genuine nomination? Did Lucius have a hand in this? He was the first to mention it and she knew how close he had been getting to the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge.

Perhaps even Albus could have played a part in it. He did suggest he wanted her to continue her career in Healing and this would be a sure ticket to get all those offers back.

Maybe Lyra just had a problem. She just couldn't allow herself to be happy. No, she had to question all of it.

She was pulled from her thoughts as she noticed Severus' head poke out from the door to the Great Hall. She smiled fondly at his appearance, her thoughts seemed to fade away. She was happy. He made her happy and that's all that mattered.

"Where's Albus?" he asked as he approached the witch, a curious expression.

"He left," Lyra replied.

"Really?"

Lyra smirked at his snark, "Yes, really."

"And what did he need to discuss with you?"

"It was more of an announcement which he dropped on me then left."

"Which was?"

"That you are looking at the next recipient of an Order of Merlin," she said smugly.

He cracked a small smile, "Congratulations, my love."

The excitement was there, buried in her chest and burst out through her expression. "Thanks," she said, pulling him in tightly and squeezing hard.

He held her close, one hand stroking the back of her hair and his lips pressing against her forid. "I'm proud of you," he said.

Lyra didn't know how to react to those words. She had never had anyone say that to her and in realising that Lyra felt tears spilling from her eyes as her heart was shaken by the approval she had been craving for years. No one had ever felt pride in her work, no matter how hard she studied or performed she never felt that approval. Of course, one as talented as Lyra could easily gain attention but to feel true validation in what she had done for the first time in her life shattered her world slightly.

It made her feel whole.

Every single bit of effort she invested was finally worth it. Maybe it didn't come from her parents or her aunt or uncle but to hear it from her former teacher turned lover was all she needed to feel like she was finally enough.

Embarrassed of her overreaction to such a simple statement she hid, clinging tighter to the Professor. When she was ready she took a deep breath and with a shaky exhale she pulled herself away and using her sleeves she wiped away her tears. She took another deep breath attempting to steady herself and her emotions before she looked back at Severus who asked, "Are you alright?"

"Oh, it's dumb," she laughed, tears falling once more which she quickly dried. "I've, um, never heard someone say that to me before? And I guess it's weird."

Severus gave her a sympathetic smile before pulling her in once more, "I'm so proud of you, Lyra. You are so smart and intelligent, you have worked so hard for this and you deserve it. Truly."

As Severus held her close he felt overwhelmed by the love he felt for her. It was a strange, almost foreign feeling. He had never felt that way before, not for Lily, not for any friend or family member. He was afraid of it and what it entailed but it felt so comfortable and warm. To love her. To hold her. To be with her.

And in that moment, Severus saw so much of himself in Lyra. Perhaps, that's why he loved her so much. He could see so clearly who she was and what motivated her, maybe he was projecting himself onto her slightly but he understood why she could be so fragile and why she did work so hard. It was because, like himself, she had lacked the love and attention from her parents and she just wanted someone to say she was good enough.

So, he told her, not in those exact words but in a way which was enough for her to know that she was good enough and he hoped that it would stave her from the Dark Arts, encouraging her to continue with her talent in healing magic. Silently, he prayed for her; that she was right in that the Dark Lord wouldn't return, that she could continue to do wonderful things and that his love for her would be enough.

"I love you," he said as he stroked the back of her head.

She looked up at him and smiled, her heart feeling somewhat lighter. "I love you too."

"We should probably have some breakfast," he said, "Then we can spend the day together."

She smiled, "I'd like that."

All too naturally, Severus' hand found hers and their fingers intertwined. With a gentle tug, Lyra followed Severus to the staff room and he pushed open the door with his free hand but he quickly realised his mistake. His hand quickly slipped out of the witch's and he composed himself, heading towards his spot back at the High Table.

During that short walk he admonished himself. How could he be so careless with public displays of affection. Perhaps, he was too used to the two of them being in the privacy of their own quarters, they hadn't practised their discretion enough. The last thing either one of them needed was for their relationship to get out. He could imagine the smug face of McGonagall and the attention it would garner from his colleagues and students. It wouldn't be long until word would somehow get back to Lucius, he cringed at the thought. He did not want to ruin his friendship with Lucius but now he cared too much for Lyra.

He looked over to the girl who was happily reading her letters from her family and friends, there were fancy packages as well that surrounded her. He glanced at the necklace he had given her, maybe it wasn't enough? He couldn't help but feel incompetent and slightly out of place in Lyra's life as she opened designer clothing and jewellery, cupcakes from Narcissa and a book from the Tonks'. Lyra looked over at him once she set them aside smiled at him. It was a genuine smile, her brown eyes warm and her cheeks full, almost hiding her eyes as she smiled wide. It was enough to steady his heart and racing thoughts, everything else faded to the background and she was at the forefront of his mind.

All he knew for sure was that he didn't want to lose her.

He couldn't stomach the thought. For a moment an image of her being tortured by the Dark Lord flashed through his mind and his heart dropped, stomach churning. 'You've put her in an awful predicament'. It was selfish, self-indulgent but she insisted it was what she wanted and he too wanted her so he allowed it to happen. The only thing he could was to prepare her better and he knew that he would have to up the ante on her lessons but that was a job for tomorrow. Right now, he wanted to indulge a little more and spend his time with his love.

They snuck away with discretion this time, staggering their disappearances from the High Table. Lyra made the journey back to her room then flooed down into Severus' quarters. He took advantage of the short time they had apart and decorated his room with candles. For a moment he considered flower petals but he decided it was too cliche and maybe a bit too cheesy.

Lyra's heart fluttered at the sight of the room, touched by the romantic gesture. "You spoil me, Sev," she said as he emerged out of the shadows.

He walked towards her and embraced her, "You deserve it." He spun her around and guided her towards the bathroom, rubbing her shoulders as they went and saying, "I was thinking we take a nice long bath then I can make love to you and then we can have a small bite to eat here before we go out on another date."

She giggled, "You don't have to take me out for my birthday."

"I want to," he insisted as they stopped in the tiled room.

"Ok," she said, spinning back around and laying a kiss on his cheek. "It sounds like a great plan."

Severus leaned down slightly, allowing his lips to meet hers he kissed her full and deep before parting. He reached for his wand and flicked it towards the bathtub, allowing it to fill with hot water. Another flick of a wand and a vial emptied into it filled with salts and herbs. He noticed her close her eyes and inhale the scent that wafted, "Lavender?"

Severus nodded.

"Sage and rosemary too?"

"Yes, but you could've gathered that by looking at the leaves," he said.

"I didn't peek," Lyra protested, attempting to look innocent but her eyes had a devilish glint in them.

He rolled his eyes before starting to undress, "Let's get in."

Lyra nodded before slipping her dress off with ease, pulling her hair into a bun and sliding into the tub. Soon after, Severus joined her and pulled her close so that she was sitting between his legs. Lyra hummed in approval as she sunk into Severus' embrace. One of her hands found his and she began to play with it, her eyes looking over it almost as though she was memorising every crease and line before she held it tightly. She closed her eyes and leaned back.

"This is nice," she muttered, "I don't want to leave."

"You never seem to want to leave anywhere," he said, pressing his lips onto her forehead.

Her lips tightened in amusement, "I don't want to ever leave your side."

"One day that day may come," he said.

Lyra's eyes squeezed shut at that statement and she shook her head. "I don't want to believe it will."

"Everything comes to an end, my love."

"Not us," she replied, reopening her eyes and staring into his. "I refuse," she smirked and allowed her expression to fade into a natural smile, relaxing into the bath.

"What do you usually do on your birthday?"

"Nothing," she replied, "Usually Lucius and Narcissa just have my favourite on the menu for dinner, they'll usually give me things I want or need. Lucius always picks out something quirky like a score for a piano piece or a book whereas Narcissa likes to get me a dress, she used to buy me jewellery but it would always be some lavish piece that I would refuse to wear. Sometimes Lucius will play music with me. On my 18th birthday they took me wine tasting, Uncle attempted to develop my palate but it took a while before I could tolerate the reds."

Severus exhaled a small laugh, "You know Lucius adores you?"

"He is a lot kinder to me than Narcissa."

"He told me that he always wanted a daughter but Narcissa only wanted one child so it had to be a boy to carry out the Malfoy line."

"Interesting."

"What about you? Do you want kids?"

Lyra paused for a moment to think, "I don't know?" Her face crewed up before she settled on an answer, "I've always wanted children but not until much later, in my mind my career came first. I want to do something with my life before buckling down and having kids. I guess it just depends on how things pan out. I don't know how many and I don't have a preference but I want them. How about you?"

"No," he said firmly.

She laughed at his abruptness, "Any reason as to why?"

"I deal with children every day and they are a great annoyance. I don't believe that if I was a parent to one it would change them a great deal."

"If you raised it right probably wouldn't be a bother," she replied.

"I doubt I'd be a good father," he said, "I didn't exactly have the best role model myself. It's probably for the best that a child was spared the misfortune of having me as their father."

"You're not that terrible," Lyra replied with an amused undertone.

"I fear that you have been blinded by love."

"I don't think so," she said.

"You on the other hand would be a wonderful mother."

"What makes you say that?" she asked, sitting up in the tub and spinning to face him.

He remained relaxed as he answered, "You are sweet and nurturing, I've seen you with Draco and your students. You genuinely care for their wellbeing and learning-"

"As do you, Severus," she said with her eyebrows raised, "In your own curious way."

He exhaled a breath of amusement.

"It's not obvious," she continued, her fingers beginning to lightly touch his arms, "But, underneath your hard exterior there is a sweetness inside."

"You're describing a chocolate instead of me," he quipped.

She shook her head, rolling her eyes. "You're afraid of someone seeing your true colours but oh, how I've dug under your skin and revealed something more than the strict, sullen Potions Master."

He pursed his lips, "It's something only you will have the pleasure of knowing."

"Don't I feel special?" she asked, leaning in and kissing him.

He returned the gesture, "I hope so."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty Two – Happy Birthday**

There wasn't a day that went by over the next two weeks where Lyra didn't receive a letter. There were Howlers telling her how despicable she was for using the Dark Arts and long winded letters detailing why she didn't deserve her position.

In fact, Lyra was surprised that Albus hadn't fired her yet, as she was sure that he too would be on the receiving end of letters requesting her dismissal. He hadn't mentioned it to her or any other staff, they all seemed to be sympathetic about the situation. None of them harboured any negative feelings towards Lyra as they all knew her and had seen her grow, the only negativity they felt was towards the authors of the article and the numerous letters she received.

Lyra didn't mind the letters, she read every one of them and took every bit of criticism, using it to train herself and her emotions for her Occlumency lessons. Severus spent every night trying to pry open her mind and despite the insults she was receiving regularly, Lyra could manage to keep her mind closed.

Not every letter was harsh and critical. In amongst the complaints were letters of warmth and encouragement from her family and friends. They all gave her different advice to deal with it; Andromeda and Ted saying to keep her head down whilst Lucius claimed he had a way to enact revenge, all she needed was to say the word. She was curious as to what it entailed but decided to follow her other Aunt and Uncle's advice, waiting for the whole thing to blow over.

She was sure that the public would soon follow the same suit of her students. They would become less afraid and forget as their mind would become occupied with a new topic of interest. For her students it was the upcoming Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw match.

Lyra was sure her reputation had been damaged by the article but it didn't shake her. A tarnished reputation was something she was used to and she wasn't going to allow that to affect her anymore. No, she was happy. For the first time in her life she felt genuinely happy.

She had a man who loved her back and cared for her. She had a job which she enjoyed and allowed her freedom.

But there was still a part of herself that craved more.

You could call it her Slytherin ambition but really it had manifested from one of the many lessons that she learnt from her family; to never be satisfied by mediocrity, to push yourself to achieve nothing less than excellence.

And oh, how Lucius dangled excellence right in front of her with those words 'Order of Merlin'.

She could envision it. She could almost taste it. She had been so close and now she wanted it.

Lyra suspected that it was his plan all along, to drop the name of a prestigious award and allow the idea to worm its way into her head but why? To get her to quit her position at Hogwarts? To deter her from pursuing a relationship with Severus? To somehow gain his family prestige?

They all seemed like viable motivations and Lyra was sure that if she took him up on his offer to enact revenge it would all somehow play into his hand. Reluctant to be used by her Uncle, Lyra ignored his offer and instead she did what she did best, throwing herself into her work, focusing on her students and training her mind.

The Quidditch Match came and went, another success for Slytherin, and February came to its end, rolling into Spring. The letters were less frequent and the article seemed to be in the past. Lyra and Severus were closer than ever as they spent every night together. He would challenge her mind's ability to keep closed during tasks such as writing, cleaning and learning advanced potion making techniques. At times he could be a harsh teacher but when the lessons came to an end they would fall into bed with one another, occasionally exchanging passion.

Lyra's birthday landed on the third weekend of March that year and she was woken up by Severus pulling her close to his body, muttering "Happy Birthday" in her ear. She smiled and snuggled closely, relishing in the feeling of his arms wrapped around her, their naked bodies pressed against one another. Her hands interlocked with his and she drifted off to sleep for a brief nap before they woke fully.

"What do you want to do today, my love?" he asked as he played with her hair.

"I don't mind," she said, "We don't have to do anything particularly special.

"Maybe we should go out on a date," he said, "I haven't taken you out since that night in London."

"You don't have to take me out," she replied, "You don't even need to buy me a gift. I'm happy just being here with you."

"Too late," he reached over to his bedside table and reached into the drawer, pulling out a small square package.

She sat up and glared at him, "Severus."

"Lyra," he mocked, sitting up and handing her the gift. "It's not much but I hope you like it."

She pulled the wrapping paper off, revealing a simple black jewellery box. She opened it, revealing a silver chain with a small, light pink, circular stone sat in the centre. She smiled weakly at the necklace and said, "Sev, it's gorgeous."

"Not as gorgeous as you."

She exhaled a small laugh, "You really didn't need to get me anything."

"I know it's not fancy or anything," he said, "I mean you're probably used to more glamorous things, I've seen what Lucius gets Narcissa but I could never afford it."

She shook her head ferociously, "Sev, it means a lot."

"It's rose quartz," he said as she looked back down at the box, "There are many stories behind it from ancient civilisations from it being the physical manifestation of the gods gift of love to humans to it blooming from the blood of a god as she tried to save her dying lover."

Lyra took his hand and squeezed it before saying, "I hope you don't jinx our relationship by giving it to me."

He smiled at her jest before continuing, "Its actually also my birthstone, perhaps that's why I was drawn to it when I was searching for your gift."

"I can always carry a part of you with me," she said, "Help me put it on."

She held her hair up, exposing her neck. Severus removed the necklace from the box and hooked it around her neck, fastening the clasps together. It sat high on her chest, the stone resting where her clavicles met.

She turned away and gave him a kiss, "For good luck."

"I didn't know you were superstitious," he said.

"It's silly, I know but I don't want anything bad to happen to us."

"It looks great on you," he said.

Lyra reached for her wand and summoned a mirror so she could get a closer look at it. She touched it gently, "It's so pretty."

"It's not too boring or plain is it?"

"No, no, no," she insisted, "I love it, it's so simple and understated. Thank you, Sev." She waved her wand and dismissed the mirror before leaning over to kiss him. "I'm never going to take it off."

"Good because I've enchanted it to protect you," he said touching the stone. It glowed as his fingers pressed against. Lyra was unsure as to whether it was from his touch or whether it had briefly just caught and reflected the light in the room.

"It's only a small stone," he explained, "So it can't hold much magic but it should be able to protect you from basic curses and ward off your nightmares. Apparently the magic works best if the wearer is in love with the giver."

"It should work well then," she said, "Oh, Sev, it's perfect. Thank you." She kissed him once more, wrapping her arms around his neck.

The kiss was long and as their lips lingered, desire overtook Lyra and she climbed on top of Severus. She sat on his thighs, each leg on either side of him as Lyra's tongue dared to venture into his mouth. His tongue fought back and they played with one another as their hands roamed one another's bodies.

Lyra's ran down his chest, appreciating his pecs and flat stomach. Severus' caressed her curves from her waist to her breasts. His attention was captured by her nipples, standing erect from the arousal. He pinched and pulled, and Lyra moaned against his mouth. She wrapped her hand around his half hard cock and teased it in a similar manner as he was to her nipples. She made slow gentle strokes, teasing and massaging the shaft.

Once he was fully erect Lyra coaxed him to lean back and he relaxed into the bed. His head was propped up against a pillow, alonging him to watch as Lyra shifted her weight up onto her knees. One hand was wrapped around his cock, holding it upright and guiding it into her pussy as she slowly sank back down.

His eyes were focused on her, enchanted by the way she moved her hips to the way her tits bounced with each movement. Her eyes were closed as she ground their sex together, occasionally fluttering open and gazing into his. Those dark eyes were full of lust, complete desire for her and her body.

Lyra rode him until she came, she panted, moans spilling from her as she came. Her body shuddered from the shock of the orgasm and her pussy clamped around him, yearning for his seed but he wasn't ready yet. Her movements slowed and she rolled over to lie in bed next to him.

Severus stood, moving to her side of the bed, tugging at her legs and pulling her body so her hips sat at the edge. Lyra watched him now, her tongue darting out and wetting her lips as they caught one another in an intense gaze. He kept his eye contact even as he slid deep into her, watching her eyes roll back slightly and her eyelids shut as his cock pumped in and out, Lyra's hand reached down between her legs, teasing her clitoris as he continued his assault. He could feel her pussy clenching around him as she craved another orgasm. He reached down and pinched her nipples hard, the stimulation driving her nearer. Soon, she unravelled, another moan escaping from her.

Severus continued, his fingers released her tender nipples and instead groped at the flesh of her breasts and greedily pressed into her curves. Lyra's moans continued, breathing a small one out with each thrust, her body overstimulated from his persistence. His pace quickened and he to came not long after, spilling his seed inside of her.

Lyra's wand was still floating on top of the sheets, she reached over and cleaned up the mess before they slid back into bed, basking in the aftermath of their orgasms. She peppered kisses on the side of his face as they spoke, whittling away an hour before they decided to get out of bed.

It was still rather early in the day; early enough for them to catch breakfast. They carried out their usual routine of Lyra flooing back up to her room and coincidentally seeing one another at the high table. Yet again, there was a large pile of letters awaiting her and as she pulled her chair out to sit down she heard several other chairs follow suit.

She glanced around the room and each person in the room was now standing, looking at her. Filius took the lead and lead the group to sing 'Happy Birthday'. She looked around and smiled, her face turning a delightful shade of pink as they continued to sing. Her smile grew as she locked eyes with Severus who was merely mouthing the words with a plain face.

"This is awful," she mouthed to him.

He smirked and whispered, "This is why I don't allow anyone to see me on my birthday."

Lyra let out a small laugh and allowed her attention to be drawn to the giant cake that floated in front of her. The song reached its conclusion and the staff and students began to cheer. She leaned over and blew the candles out before comically bowing and waving to the audience.

Before Lyra could breathe a sigh of relief and take a seat, she felt a hand gently sit on her shoulder. She turned around and her eyes meeting the twinkling blue of the Headmaster.

"May I have a word?" he asked.

Lyra nodded and followed him out of the Great Hall. Albus stopped just outside the door and waved his arm around the two of them, casting a privacy barrier despite the hallways being clear.

"As Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, it is my honour to invite you to receive an Order of Merlin for your contribution to the Healing Arts and discovery of the cure to Psyrot," he said.

"What?" Lyra asked, slightly dazed by the statement.

"You're being awarded an Order of Merlin, Lyra," he said, "Happy Birthday."

And with that he turned on the spot and left the witch there to process what had happened.

She was frozen, her mind reeling, trying to make sense of their conversation - if one could call it that. She didn't allow herself to become overwhelmed with her emotion, the excitement and disbelief subsided and instead her mind questioned the situation.

Was it a genuine nomination? Did Lucius have a hand in this? He was the first to mention it and she knew how close he had been getting to the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge.

Perhaps even Albus could have played a part in it. He did suggest he wanted her to continue her career in Healing and this would be a sure ticket to get all those offers back.

Maybe Lyra just had a problem. She just couldn't allow herself to be happy. No, she had to question all of it.

She was pulled from her thoughts as she noticed Severus' head poke out from the door to the Great Hall. She smiled fondly at his appearance, her thoughts seemed to fade away. She was happy. He made her happy and that's all that mattered.

"Where's Albus?" he asked as he approached the witch, a curious expression.

"He left," Lyra replied.

"Really?"

Lyra smirked at his snark, "Yes, really."

"And what did he need to discuss with you?"

"It was more of an announcement which he dropped on me then left."

"Which was?"

"That you are looking at the next recipient of an Order of Merlin," she said smugly.

He cracked a small smile, "Congratulations, my love."

The excitement was there, buried in her chest and burst out through her expression. "Thanks," she said, pulling him in tightly and squeezing hard.

He held her close, one hand stroking the back of her hair and his lips pressing against her forid. "I'm proud of you," he said.

Lyra didn't know how to react to those words. She had never had anyone say that to her and in realising that Lyra felt tears spilling from her eyes as her heart was shaken by the approval she had been craving for years. No one had ever felt pride in her work, no matter how hard she studied or performed she never felt that approval. Of course, one as talented as Lyra could easily gain attention but to feel true validation in what she had done for the first time in her life shattered her world slightly.

It made her feel whole.

Every single bit of effort she invested was finally worth it. Maybe it didn't come from her parents or her aunt or uncle but to hear it from her former teacher turned lover was all she needed to feel like she was finally enough.

Embarrassed of her overreaction to such a simple statement she hid, clinging tighter to the Professor. When she was ready she took a deep breath and with a shaky exhale she pulled herself away and using her sleeves she wiped away her tears. She took another deep breath attempting to steady herself and her emotions before she looked back at Severus who asked, "Are you alright?"

"Oh, it's dumb," she laughed, tears falling once more which she quickly dried. "I've, um, never heard someone say that to me before? And I guess it's weird."

Severus gave her a sympathetic smile before pulling her in once more, "I'm so proud of you, Lyra. You are so smart and intelligent, you have worked so hard for this and you deserve it. Truly."

As Severus held her close he felt overwhelmed by the love he felt for her. It was a strange, almost foreign feeling. He had never felt that way before, not for Lily, not for any friend or family member. He was afraid of it and what it entailed but it felt so comfortable and warm. To love her. To hold her. To be with her.

And in that moment, Severus saw so much of himself in Lyra. Perhaps, that's why he loved her so much. He could see so clearly who she was and what motivated her, maybe he was projecting himself onto her slightly but he understood why she could be so fragile and why she did work so hard. It was because, like himself, she had lacked the love and attention from her parents and she just wanted someone to say she was good enough.

So, he told her, not in those exact words but in a way which was enough for her to know that she was good enough and he hoped that it would stave her from the Dark Arts, encouraging her to continue with her talent in healing magic. Silently, he prayed for her; that she was right in that the Dark Lord wouldn't return, that she could continue to do wonderful things and that his love for her would be enough.

"I love you," he said as he stroked the back of her head.

She looked up at him and smiled, her heart feeling somewhat lighter. "I love you too."

"We should probably have some breakfast," he said, "Then we can spend the day together."

She smiled, "I'd like that."

All too naturally, Severus' hand found hers and their fingers intertwined. With a gentle tug, Lyra followed Severus to the staff room and he pushed open the door with his free hand but he quickly realised his mistake. His hand quickly slipped out of the witch's and he composed himself, heading towards his spot back at the High Table.

During that short walk he admonished himself. How could he be so careless with public displays of affection. Perhaps, he was too used to the two of them being in the privacy of their own quarters, they hadn't practised their discretion enough. The last thing either one of them needed was for their relationship to get out. He could imagine the smug face of McGonagall and the attention it would garner from his colleagues and students. It wouldn't be long until word would somehow get back to Lucius, he cringed at the thought. He did not want to ruin his friendship with Lucius but now he cared too much for Lyra.

He looked over to the girl who was happily reading her letters from her family and friends, there were fancy packages as well that surrounded her. He glanced at the necklace he had given her, maybe it wasn't enough? He couldn't help but feel incompetent and slightly out of place in Lyra's life as she opened designer clothing and jewellery, cupcakes from Narcissa and a book from the Tonks'. Lyra looked over at him once she set them aside smiled at him. It was a genuine smile, her brown eyes warm and her cheeks full, almost hiding her eyes as she smiled wide. It was enough to steady his heart and racing thoughts, everything else faded to the background and she was at the forefront of his mind.

All he knew for sure was that he didn't want to lose her.

He couldn't stomach the thought. For a moment an image of her being tortured by the Dark Lord flashed through his mind and his heart dropped, stomach churning. 'You've put her in an awful predicament'. It was selfish, self-indulgent but she insisted it was what she wanted and he too wanted her so he allowed it to happen. The only thing he could was to prepare her better and he knew that he would have to up the ante on her lessons but that was a job for tomorrow. Right now, he wanted to indulge a little more and spend his time with his love.

They snuck away with discretion this time, staggering their disappearances from the High Table. Lyra made the journey back to her room then flooed down into Severus' quarters. He took advantage of the short time they had apart and decorated his room with candles. For a moment he considered flower petals but he decided it was too cliche and maybe a bit too cheesy.

Lyra's heart fluttered at the sight of the room, touched by the romantic gesture. "You spoil me, Sev," she said as he emerged out of the shadows.

He walked towards her and embraced her, "You deserve it." He spun her around and guided her towards the bathroom, rubbing her shoulders as they went and saying, "I was thinking we take a nice long bath then I can make love to you and then we can have a small bite to eat here before we go out on another date."

She giggled, "You don't have to take me out for my birthday."

"I want to," he insisted as they stopped in the tiled room.

"Ok," she said, spinning back around and laying a kiss on his cheek. "It sounds like a great plan."

Severus leaned down slightly, allowing his lips to meet hers he kissed her full and deep before parting. He reached for his wand and flicked it towards the bathtub, allowing it to fill with hot water. Another flick of a wand and a vial emptied into it filled with salts and herbs. He noticed her close her eyes and inhale the scent that wafted, "Lavender?"

Severus nodded.

"Sage and rosemary too?"

"Yes, but you could've gathered that by looking at the leaves," he said.

"I didn't peek," Lyra protested, attempting to look innocent but her eyes had a devilish glint in them.

He rolled his eyes before starting to undress, "Let's get in."

Lyra nodded before slipping her dress off with ease, pulling her hair into a bun and sliding into the tub. Soon after, Severus joined her and pulled her close so that she was sitting between his legs. Lyra hummed in approval as she sunk into Severus' embrace. One of her hands found his and she began to play with it, her eyes looking over it almost as though she was memorising every crease and line before she held it tightly. She closed her eyes and leaned back.

"This is nice," she muttered, "I don't want to leave."

"You never seem to want to leave anywhere," he said, pressing his lips onto her forehead.

Her lips tightened in amusement, "I don't want to ever leave your side."

"One day that day may come," he said.

Lyra's eyes squeezed shut at that statement and she shook her head. "I don't want to believe it will."

"Everything comes to an end, my love."

"Not us," she replied, reopening her eyes and staring into his. "I refuse," she smirked and allowed her expression to fade into a natural smile, relaxing into the bath.

"What do you usually do on your birthday?"

"Nothing," she replied, "Usually Lucius and Narcissa just have my favourite on the menu for dinner, they'll usually give me things I want or need. Lucius always picks out something quirky like a score for a piano piece or a book whereas Narcissa likes to get me a dress, she used to buy me jewellery but it would always be some lavish piece that I would refuse to wear. Sometimes Lucius will play music with me. On my 18th birthday they took me wine tasting, Uncle attempted to develop my palate but it took a while before I could tolerate the reds."

Severus exhaled a small laugh, "You know Lucius adores you?"

"He is a lot kinder to me than Narcissa."

"He told me that he always wanted a daughter but Narcissa only wanted one child so it had to be a boy to carry out the Malfoy line."

"Interesting."

"What about you? Do you want kids?"

Lyra paused for a moment to think, "I don't know?" Her face crewed up before she settled on an answer, "I've always wanted children but not until much later, in my mind my career came first. I want to do something with my life before buckling down and having kids. I guess it just depends on how things pan out. I don't know how many and I don't have a preference but I want them. How about you?"

"No," he said firmly.

She laughed at his abruptness, "Any reason as to why?"

"I deal with children every day and they are a great annoyance. I don't believe that if I was a parent to one it would change them a great deal."

"If you raised it right probably wouldn't be a bother," she replied.

"I doubt I'd be a good father," he said, "I didn't exactly have the best role model myself. It's probably for the best that a child was spared the misfortune of having me as their father."

"You're not that terrible," Lyra replied with an amused undertone.

"I fear that you have been blinded by love."

"I don't think so," she said.

"You'd be a wonderful mother."

"What makes you say that?" she asked, sitting up in the tub and spinning to face him.

He remained relaxed as he answered, "You are sweet and nurturing, I've seen you with Draco and your students. You genuinely care for their wellbeing and learning-"

"As do you, Severus," she said with her eyebrows raised, "In your own curious way."

He exhaled a breath of amusement.

"It's not obvious," she continued, her fingers beginning to lightly touch his arms, "But, underneath your hard exterior there is a sweetness inside."

"You're describing a chocolate instead of me," he quipped.

She shook her head, rolling her eyes. "You're afraid of someone seeing your true colours but oh, how I've dug under your skin and revealed something more than the strict, sullen Potions Master."

He pursed his lips, "It's something only you will have the pleasure of knowing."

"Don't I feel special?" she asked, leaning in and kissing him.

He returned the gesture, "I hope so."


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note:** I'm really terrible at chapter summaries and names, if you have any suggestions lemme know. Heads up that I extended the previous chapter from when I originally posted it so if you haven't read that yet go and check it out. Hope you'll enjoy it, I have the rest of the fic all planned and I'm in the midst of writing the next chapter. Hopefully I can smash the rest of this out and move onto the sequel. I have so much planned for you all. Feel free to comment and hit me up on tumblr etc.

 **Chapter Twenty Three**

Albus' announcement was confirmed the next morning with the arrival of the morning post. Not only did Lyra receive a letter but she found herself the topic on the front page of the The Daily Prophet once more.

LYRA LESTRANGE TO BE YOUNGEST ORDER OF MERLIN RECIPIENT IN HISTORY

Written By Rita Skeeter

The name Lyra Lestrange dominated headlines last month as she produced a cure to Psyrot, a disease that had been plaguing the Wizarding community for several months. As a result of her contributions to the Healing Arts, Lyra Lestrange finds herself once again thrust into the spotlight as she becomes the youngest ever witch to receive an Order of Merlin.

"There is no doubt in my mind that Lyra Lestrange is worthy of this award," says Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, "Her discovery has saved numerous lives and she deserves to be recognised for her achievements. She is an inspiration to us all, I hope she will continue her work as a healer and that this award will inspire her, along with other witches and wizards of talent, to push boundaries and enlighten our community."

Despite the support of our Minister, there are still some doubt among the public as to whether Lyra should be a recipient of this prestigious award.

"It's an absolute disgrace that Lyra is being awarded an OM," says a disgruntled former colleague and classmate of Lestrange, "Given her history, I don't believe she deserves one. She almost killed one of our classmates."

Should we be giving an almost killer and Death Eater sympathiser an award reserved for outstanding citizens?

"I don't know why I subscribe to this bloody paper," Minerva said, throwing her copy onto the table with a large thud. "It's all codswallop, that Skeeter woman, I have half a mind- No, I tell you, I am writing her a letter."

Lyra laughed, "It's fine, Minerva."

"It's not fine."

"It's not like it's a lie," Lyra shrugged, "I did do those things they mentioned in the last article, you know it, half the students know it."

"But you're not that person anymore," Minerva argued, "You saved people and that bloody well deserves to be recognised, Lyra."

"People know," she shrugged, "That's enough. They'll believe what they want to and that's fine by me."

The Transfiguration Professor paused for a moment, slightly perplexed by the maturity her ex-student was showing. She pursed her lips before insisting, "Well, if anyone else gives you grief, you send them straight to me."

With a laugh and a nod Lyra left the breakfast table and headed off to her classes. The day progressed rather quickly and with ease, Lyra utilising her free periods to mark assignments and plan her lessons. She found that her students were still in rather high spirits, none seeming to be affected by the reminder that their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher may be a Death Eater. She did find that a few of them took the time to congratulate her on her nomination for the Order of Merlin. Once her classes were finished, Lyra found herself back in the company of Severus within his office.

"Now don't think that just because it was your birthday yesterday and you're an Order of Merlin nominee that I'll go easy on you," Severus warned. His wand was drawn and he had adopted an aggressive dueling stance.

Lyra acted cool, a smirk formed across her lips, "I would expect you to go harder on me, if anything."

"Draw your wand," he urged.

Lyra's eyes narrowed, her smirk gone. "Why?"

"Today we practice with the Cruciatus Curse," he replied, a grim expression firm on his face.

Lyra breathed in deep, reaching for her wand and twirling it in between her fingers. She closed her eyes and cleared her head before looking him in the eyes.

"Believe me when I say that I take no pleasure in this."

"It's necessary," she replied, "Get on with it."

He relaxed his stance a bit, reluctant to start, "Lyra, if it's too much tell me."

"I have my wand, I know how to use it," she said, "It'll be fine, Severus."

He nodded once, firmly, before returning to his position. "Crucio!" he casted.

A small scream of surprise erupted from Lyra's throat, she gripped her wand tighter and her face was twisted in pain as the curse weakly burned her insides. "Come on, Sevvy," she taunted, "Is that all you've got?"

He gritted his teeth in displeasure, "Crucio!"

Lyra fell to her knees that time, her lips pressed tightly to stop herself from screaming. The curse was more intense, her bones felt as though they were on fire, her head had a piercing ache and her flesh felt as though it was being cut and ripped open.

It barely lasted a minute before Severus ended the curse but every second of being it it felt like it would drag on forever. He looked into Lyra's eyes and cast, "Legilimens!"

Her mind was blank, completely and utterly blank. It was almost as though he had stepped into a void. He released her and there was this smug look on her face, knowing she had achieved it on her first try.

Severus wouldn't let his lesson end that quickly, "Crucio!"

Another small scream escaped her but she quickly quietened herself. Her wand fell from her hands and she held herself, wrapping her arms around her body and her hands tightly squeezed her biceps. The curse ended and she looked up at him.

"Legilimens!"

Nothing once more.

Severus was annoyed, when he had practiced with Dumbledore it had taken him several days before he had mastered it. Now Lyra was there kneeling before him, easily detached from her emotions and memories. He was tempted to see how much it would take her to break, a sadistic side unwinding inside himself.

No.

What was he thinking? He loved Lyra, he didn't want to hurt her.

She stood up, steadying herself on the desk. She leaned back and twirled her wand between her fingers like a drummer would with their stick. "Is that it?"

"Am I just out of practice or are you somehow immune to the Cruciatus Curse?"

She laughed, "It did feel rather weak in comparison to my mother's."

"You know what it's like to be on the other end from your mother?"

"It was regularly used as a disciplinary method both at home and at Durmstrang," she replied, "Although, it was a bit under wraps at Durmstrang. It used either for really bad kids or to encourage the Quidditch players to play better."

"I thought things were bad at my house," he said, "My father used to belt me. Sometimes he'd make me kneel and balance a book on my head all night long."

Lyra stopped twirling her wand and instead looked concerned. "Pretty sure that's more fucked up than the Cruciatus Curse," Lyra said, "At least it's over in an instant. I learned very quickly not to cry and scream because it would just make it worse, maybe that's why I can be so detached from my emotions. But yeah, your parents punishment sounds really fucked up, Sev."

He shrugged.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he replied, "So practicing your Occlumency after enduring the Cruciatus Curse seems pretty redundant."

"Probably," she laughed sheepishly, "I mean, occlumency feels pretty second nature to me now."

"How would you stand up to seeing someone else tortured?" he asked.

"I don't know," she sighed and tried to imagine it. "I guess it'd depend on who it was, I don't think I could stomach Draco being tortured, but I think I could keep my emotions in check."

"You wouldn't get too emotional?"

"Perhaps," she said, "I'll try my best not to."

"Your best may not be good enough," he said, "What if it was me?"

"Sev-"

"Lyra, you're risking my life and yours if you can't close your mind," he said, "I don't want your best, I want you to do it."

She gritted her teeth and nodded, "I understand."

"Use the curse on me," he said.

"What?" she was shocked by the request.

"Use the Cruciatus on me."

"No," she said, firmly.

"Would you refuse if the Dark Lord asked you?"

"No, I wouldn't," she said, "But the Dark Lord isn't asking me, you're asking me to practice on you. I know how the curse works, I can do it if I need-"

"Prove it," he spat.

"Sev," she said once more.

"Lyra," he said sternly, "I'm losing my patience."

Hesitantly, Lyra positioned herself in an aggressive stance. "Crucio."

A scream ripped from Severus' throat as he felt pain tear through his body. He dropped to his knees and began to writhe from the burning sensation that coursed through his veins. He clutched onto his head as a sharp pain buried itself into his brain.

Lyra found no enjoyment in casting the Cruciatus Curse but the intent was there. Her mind was completely detached from her emotions and she allowed herself to watch Severus screaming in pain for several minutes before ending the curse.

He steadied himself on the table and looked into Lyra's eyes. There was no remorse, no feeling on the surface that he could easily pluck from her mind. She felt nothing. He watched her close eyes and when she opened them once more it was almost as though the warmth of her personality had returned.

"You're terrifying," he said.

She scratched the back of her head, "I know."

"How do you do that?"

"I don't know," she sighed deeply before continuing. "I spent a long time not feeling, Sev. I wasn't allowed to show weakness around my parents. I guess it's second nature to me to just be distant from my feelings. It took a long time to learn how to be… normal, I guess?"

"I suppose I chose the right person to fall in love with," he said.

She laughed, "I suppose you did."

"Well, I think that's it for our lessons."

"Because I tortured you?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Lyra, I trust you and I trust you will keep our relationship hidden from the Dark Lord but don't think that means I won't test you from time to time."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," she smirked.

The week seemed to drag on in anticipation of Lyra's Order of Merlin ceremony. Each day there was a new article about her, one where Albus himself vouched for her then another where Lucius spoke. Things died down after her Uncle gave his take on the story, calling it "utter nonsense" and detailing how he and his wife "guided Lyra back onto the straight and narrow, nurturing her natural talents".

The articles were enough to spark doubt in her mind. She began to question the true motivation for the award and who in fact nominated her. She tried to convince herself it didn't matter but with both Albus and Lucius' names in the press, she was beginning to suspect them. Either way, her award would cast a brilliant light on both of them and Lyra felt as though her nomination was somehow tainted.

"I'm not going," she announced as she entered Severus' office, slumping herself into a chair. Her arms were folded and her eyes tightly closed, almost like a child.

It was the night before the ceremony and Lyra had found herself seeking comfort with the man she loved and who had refused to attend the ceremony with her.

"And why are you protesting now?"

"You're not coming," she huffed.

His eyebrows arose in boredom, "We discussed this days ago, you know why I can't. Lucius will suspect that we're in a relationship."

"No one else can come either, it's just going to be me and Lucius," Lyra groaned, "I doubt this nomination is even genuine at this point."

"What on earth do you mean?"

"Obviously it's some ploy by Lucius to better the Malfoy name," she said, "Look at the way he spoke about me in the papers." She put on a voice, "'Oh, this poor orphaned child who was misguided and on the path to the Dark Arts was set straight by me and now she's a brilliant witch who betters the country'. Absolute bollocks."

"You sound ridiculous," he said, "Do you really think Lucius would pay the Minister off so you could get an Order of Merlin."

"I wouldn't put it past him," she said, "It's either him or Albus."

"Albus?" he questioned her logic, "And what motivation does Albus have?"

"Well, he's obviously not happy that we're together and if I get the OM all my offers will flood back and bam, I'm gone. He's also concerned that the Defence Against the Dark Arts curse will nab me somehow and he doesn't want to wait for it to happen."

"You're delusional."

"Am I?" she asked, "It's obviously rigged to make me look better and in turn all these wizards benefit off of it."

"I did it, you idiot."

Lyra wasn't expecting that answer. She pulled a face, her eyebrows were pressed together as her mind ticked over the words. "What?" she asked in disbelief.

"I nominated you," he said, emphasising each syllable.

Her confused expression only worsened, her eyes narrowed and cheeks puffed up. "Why?"

"Because I've seen your work and you deserve it," he said. "You discovered the cure for a disease within two months. I watched you agonise over every moment, I watched you utilise all the tools you had at your disposal and I saw your brilliant mind at work. You deserve to be recognised for that and you shouldn't be wasting your time as a teacher or in an office, you should be out there doing real work to benefit the community."

Lyra felt uncomfortable with her emotions that were brewing inside her. Yet again, her lover had complimented her and given her approval but this time she didn't cry. She just sat in her stunned silence.

He chuckled as he approached her, leaning down to lay a kiss on the top of her head. "I love you, Lyra," he said.

She exhaled a small laugh and looked up at him, "I love you too. Are you sure you can't come?"

He frowned slightly, "I'm afraid not. I would have loved to share that moment with you."

"It's ok," she said, "I'll be there when you get yours."

"And what will mine be in?" he asked.

"Your bravery," she said vaguely.

"My bravery?"

"Mmm," she hummed, "Or your brilliant mind. You could rewrite all our textbooks and bring us into the 21st century. Either that or you'll help me cure more diseases. I was thinking lycanthropy would be cool."

He laughed at her ambition, "Possibly."

She smiled at him and as she did she found her mind wandering to imagine a future with him. One, where they would live together and spend their time in solitude; researching, cooking and sleeping together. Lyra felt an intrusion of her thoughts and quickly shut those feelings out.

Severus smiled sadly at her, "Seems too good to be true. Don't get too complacent with your Occlumency."

She nodded.

The pair spent the night together, as they usually did. Lyra found herself waking up early the next morning, not wanting to get out of bed. She groaned and pulled Severus closer to her.

"Good morning, my love," he muttered, "Time for you to go yet?"

"I don't want to," she said, her voice muffled from being buried against his back.

He chuckled and rolled over, wrapping his arm around her and Lyra finding her head resting on his chest. His fingers danced gently on her back, his eyes still shut slightly. "Your family are waiting for you," he said, Lyra listening to the rumble of his voice through his chest.

She hummed, "Mm, but you're so sexy when you wake up." Her hands gliding down towards his free cock.

"Lyra," he groaned as she wrapped her hand around it and began to lightly tease it.

"Sev," she mocked as she let go and slid down under the sheets.

He moaned in bliss as he felt her tongue lick up the length of his cock a few times before she took it into her mouth. She sucked and teased the firm member with her mouth, parting from it a few times to rub him. She looked up at him, watching his eyes closed in pleasure and appreciating how his body looked in the morning light.

Lyra would continue to alternate between sucking and rubbing, enjoying the sight and sound of him slowly unravelling beneath her. His moans were enchanting, stirring heat in the depth of her stomach. She smirked as he fisted the sheets, attempting to restrain himself from coming quickly down her throat.

"My love," he choked out, "Ride me."

She obliged, easily straddling him and allowing the length of his cock to slowly be engulfed by the warm wet heart that she hid between her legs. Severus held her hips as he bucked up into them, Lyra merely enjoying the ride.

His eyes were open now, watching the way her body moved on top of him. His eyes would glance down to watch his dick slowly enter in and out of her. It was taking all his self restraint not flip her over and fuck her silly into the mattress.

He watched her as her hands found their way to stimulate herself, one hand tugging a nipple and the other firm on her clit. He felt her walls tighten around him as she overstimulated herself. His eyes would alternate between the filthy things she was doing to get herself off and to her face; how beautiful she looked with her eyes closed and her bottom lip sucked in, her teeth biting down yet failing to withhold the moans that escaped her throat.

Severus couldn't stand it any longer. He lifted her up and rolled her over to the side, allowing her to fall onto the mattress. He got up and placed himself between her legs, angling down slowly until his member was once again buried deep inside her.

Lyra moaned at the intrusion. Her eyes closed briefly in pleasure. Her eyes fluttered open once more and watched as he towered over her, thrusting in and out of her, completely driving but lust and greed. It was intoxicating. Her hands pleasured herself and she found herself working closer and closer towards her orgasm.

He could feel her clenching down hard around him, her breathing became sparse as she held her breath the closer she got to her unraveling. He tried to maintain a steady pace but he could feel his balls tightening as he felt his orgasm near too.

"Come for me, Lyra," he whispered, "Come for me, my love."

And she did.

Her hips bucked up into his, a strangled scream escaped her. The look on her face was enough to push him over the edge. He felt her walls pulse as he came inside her. He collapsed on top of her briefly, his skin sticking to hers from the layer of sweat that had accumulated. He rolled to the side and Lyra held his hand.

"We'll shower and I'll walk you past the anti-apparation barrier," he said, squeezing her hand.

"You don't want to come with me?" she asked.

"I don't know if I could look Lucius and Narcissa in the eye after shagging their niece," he said.

She laughed, "Fair call."

After a few silent moments together in bed, a tug pulled Lyra out of the bed and towards the bathroom for a shower. They walked side by side through the hallways of Hogwarts, all she wanted was to hold his hand. She gave him a small smile as they reached the Forbidden Forest.

"I'll see you tonight?" she asked.

"Provided Cissy and Lucius don't want you to stay for dinner," he said.

She pursed her lips and nodded. Severus reached down to gently caress her face, leaning forward he left a kiss on her forehead. "I'll see you soon, my love," he whispered.

"I love you," she replied before stepping back slightly and turning on the spot.

Lyra mentally braced herself at the sight of the Manor. With a deep breath in and slow exhale, she found the nerve to walk down the all too familiar path and back into her family home. She let herself in, hanging her coat on the hanger near the door.

"Oh Lyra," Narcissa said, darting down the stairs. "How good to see you again."

"Morning, Aunty," she replied, embracing her aunt.

"Come," Narcissa said, "We've got to get you looking good and presentable."

Narcissa whisked her niece away, taking her back up the stairs and to her and Lucius' wing of the house. Right next to their shared room was Narcissa's own personal wardrobe, if one could call it that. It was a room, lined with the latest and greatest fashion. Coats with rich furs and dresses of different colours and fabrics hung back to back, all organised by designer of course. Sitting in the centre was an open set of drawers with boots and heels, along with some handbags.

Lyra looked indifferent, having seen this all before. Narcissa loved to play fancy dress up with her niece, particularly when she came of age. She would beg to dress her and take her along to fancy balls and tea parties that the purebloods would hold but Lyra refused.

Now, Narcissa finally had her moment to pick out the best outfit for Lyra. "So, what have you been thinking?" she asked Lyra who was standing there looking rather bored.

She shrugged, "I'm sure whatever you pick will be nice."

"Have a look around," she urged, "Try something."

Lyra could tell her aunt was desperate to try and bond with the girl as she had tried several times before. It wasn't that Lyra didn't care about her looks, she did, but she just knew that whatever she'd pick would be wrong. She stepped forward and browsed the racks before pulling out a modest black dress that was high cut, with long sleeves and showed off a bit of her legs. "How about this?"

"Oh, you shouldn't wear black, my dear," Narcissa said, taking the dress from her niece and putting it back, "Your mother would wear black all the time, it's a very dominating colour, would leave the wrong impression."

Lyra sucked in her lips spotted a red dress with black lace detailing, she pulled it out and looked at it.

"Too short," her aunt said, "Red is also a bit aggressive, don't you think?"

"Sure," Lyra said, shoving the dress back into place.

She gravitated towards a green velvet wrap dress. "Great colour and style but velvet is a bit 70's," Narcissa said.

"How about you pick something out for me?" Lyra said.

Her aunt nodded and pulled out a white and black polka dot chiffon dress with lace accents, "How about this?"

"It looks a bit like a sack," Lyra said.

"Trust me, it doesn't look like a sack when it's on," Narcissa insisted.

Lyra reached out and put the dress on, "Huh. It's actually not too bad."

"Modest and feminine," Narcissa said, "It does have a bit of your personality too. I think it's good. Now shoes."

"I can't just wear boots with it?" Lyra asked.

"Don't be ridiculous," Narcissa said in heightened tone with a dismissive hand wave. She looked around the set of shoes she had before settling for a white pair with a black base, "These."

Lyra took them and slipped them on.

"Oh look at you, Lyra," Narcissa said, "You look gorgeous."

Lyra looked at herself in the mirror and span around. She did look gorgeous but she didn't feel like it was here.

"Now makeup," her aunt said, drawing her wand.

Lyra allowed her aunt to go a bit overboard with her makeup but when she looked at the final product she was impressed. Her lips were painted with a nude lipstick and she had a bright base with dreamy eyes that didn't look too different from her without makeup. She smiled at the sight of herself.

"I look great," Lyra said, "Thank you, Aunty."

"You're gorgeous," she said, "Much prettier than your mother was at your age."

Lyra laughed, "You can't say that."

"I can because she's my sister," Narcissa said, "Still no suitors?"

"I'm not interested."

"Well, you are good at your work and I can accept it if you want to be single for the rest of your life and just work on your research but Lucius told me that there may be something going on with Severus."

Lyra had let her guard down a bit too much over the short time with her aunt and her face fell slightly at the mention of Severus, "It's nothing."

"Lyra," Narcissa said, pulling her niece's hands into hers and looking deep into her eyes. "You have a duty."

"I know."

"We've all had to make sacrifices, my dear," she said squeezing her hands.

"Uncle told me about you two," Lyra said, "Do you regret it?"

"When I was young I did," Narcissa said, her face softening as she spoke. "It took me years to get over the relationship I had before him but Lucius respected that. He gave me distance, flowered me with gifts and eventually I fell in love with him and then we had Draco. You'll learn to adapt to the situation."

"What made you fall in love with him?"

"His kindness, I saw him playing with you when I was babysitting you one afternoon," she reminisced, "He was teaching you the piano, he had you propped up on his knee and you were following along. I knew he'd be a great father, although his affection wasn't as great as it was towards Draco as it was to you."

Lyra nodded.

"It took time but I do love him," she said, "You too will learn to love whomever you marry."

"Mum mentioned Barty Crouch Junior as a potential spouse when I visited," Lyra said.

"I would prefer if you didn't marry a Death Eater," she replied, "It caused too much trouble in our relationship."

"Yet you suggested Carrow?"

"There aren't many of the Sacred 28 left to choose from," Narcissa said.

A knock on the door was heard, preventing Lyra from dropping a snarky comment. Narcissa flicked her wand towards the door, opening it and revealing her husband.

"My two favourite ladies," he said.

Narcissa went to greet him with a chaste kiss on the lips and Lyra gave him a brief hug.

"You look beautiful, Lyra," he said, tucking her hair behind her ear and resting a hand on her shoulder. "We best be off, don't want to keep the Wizengamot waiting."

"Are you not coming, Aunty?"

"No, I can't take Draco," she said, "He's too young."

Lyra frowned but nodded.

"No one from school wanted to come?" Lucius enquired, "Severus? Or your other colleagues who helped?"

She shook her head, "No, it was a bit last minute to be honest."

"It's not every day a former student receives an Order of Merlin," he said, "I'm surprised."

"It's fine," she shrugged, "I don't like the attention, anyway."

"Well, there's sure to be a lot of press," he said, "But don't worry. I had a special chat to Rita Skeeter about the bullshit she's been writing about you lately."

"I appreciate it," Lyra replied, "Hopefully today goes without a hitch."

"Well, there'll be a problem if you're late. Go," she insisted waving the pair of them away.

Lucius' hand rested on her upper back and gently guided out of the room. "We'll be using the floo network," he said.

She nodded and lead the way down the stairs, through the foyer and into the living room. She stepped into the fireplace after grabbing a handful of floo powder. She sprinkled the powder around her, the green flames starting to lick at her. "Ministry of Magic, Atrium," she said clearly before being sucked into the fireplace.

Gracefully, she stepped out of the gilded fireplace and onto the dark hard wood floor of the Atrium. She walked forward a few steps and found herself hounded by a group of reporters. There were bright flashes from a camera, Lyra closing her eyes and wincing away, shocked by the assault. Each reporter was talking over the other and Lyra couldn't process anything that was being said.

She felt a hand press lightly on her shoulder, drawing her attention away from the journalists and up to her Uncle. He gave the girl a firm squeeze to reassure her and smiled. A small smirk played across Lyra's face as she realised the role her Uncle wanted her to play. She was dressed the part of the innocent and demure niece of the wealthy, well-established businessman and she knew what she had to do.

He looked back at the crowd and affectionately pulled Lyra closer to him, "One at a time," he said, "My dear niece isn't used to all the attention. We'll take a few questions before we head off to the ceremony."

"Miss Lestrange," a man addressed the young witch, "How does it feel to be the youngest and one of the few witches to be awarded an Order of Merlin?"

She smiled, "Honestly, I am honoured and I am so touched to have my work acknowledged to this degree. I never expected to achieve one in my lifetime so it does come as a bit of a surprise to me but I'm just glad my research healed and saved the lives of so many people. I hope that in my receiving of this award I can inspire other young witches and wizards to pursue excellence and work towards a better world."

"Miss Lestrange, how do your parents feel about this?"

Lyra allowed her face to flicker with a brief look of sadness, "I have very little contact with my biological parents but I am so glad to have my Uncle Lucius by my side as he raised me to be the witch I am today."

"Narcissa and I are so proud of her work," Lucius said, giving her an affectionate squeeze, "We are so glad that despite her parentage that Lyra has turned out to be such a beautiful and intelligent witch."

She looked up at her Uncle and smiled, "I consider this man to be my father." Although she did believe the words she was saying to a degree, she couldn't help but feel a slight pain in her chest as her thoughts flicked over to the recent memory of her parents in prison.

"And what do you think Emily Wiltshire would have to say about your Order of Merlin, Lyra?"

That voice.

"You're going to regret this, Lyra."

It matched the howler she had received.

The crowd parted slightly and revealed the owner of the voice who spoke out.

Jack Thompson.


	24. Chapter 24

Lyra smirked at the appearance of her former colleague and classmate, "Jack." She separated herself from her Uncle and stepped forward.

"Lyra," he said, "Do they all know how you almost killed our classmate back in sixth year?"

She exhaled a small laugh as her innocent facade dropped and an air of confidence replaced it. "It was in the papers, was it not?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. "No doubt that you were the one who slipped it to them in the first place."

"I don't believe for one second that you've changed," he said.

"Ah, but she has," a voice belonging to an older man was heard coming from behind Lyra. She turned and saw the Hogwarts Headmaster stride forward, dressed in his plum coloured Wizengamot uniform. "Lyra," he addressed the witch before turning to the crowd of reporters that had gathered. "I have had one other student of mine receive an Order of Merlin and he too was a bit of trouble maker himself, he was expelled from Hogwarts for endangering the life of another student. I did not believe expulsion was necessary but I was in no position to do anything about. When a similar situation presented itself to me again through Lyra I gave her the opportunity that Newt was not afforded. I used the situation to teach her and she worked in the Hospital Wing to care for the student she harmed. I believe it was that moment that lead Lyra down the path to becoming a healer. To me, it is obvious that Lyra feels a great deal of remorse for her actions, as well as her parents, and has made it her life's work to seek redemption."

"But wasn't Lyra expelled from Durmstrang for using the Cruciatus Curse on Igor Karakaroff?" piped up a female voice, one that Lyra recognised. Her smile quickly faded as her eyes darted to the blonde witch with a smug look, toying with her acid green quick quotes quill.

"Those were in sealed court proceedings," Lucius snapped, "How did you get a hold of that?"

Lyra shook her head and placed an arm back to stop her Uncle from progressing. She looked at Rita and her eyes glossed over the rest of the reporters, with a deep breath she began her explanation. "I was a very angry child and extremely misguided by my parents. I was eleven when they were arrested and my Uncle believed that I should try to maintain my relationship with my parents which was a regretful mistake. They manipulated me into committing that act of revenge and I have held a deep remorse for my actions towards Headmaster Karkaroff."

Lyra touched her chest and breathed deep again, appearing as though she was restraining herself from crying. "I live with that guilt everyday and I have tried to remedy it through my actions and contributions to society both as a healer and a teacher. I am so grateful that I was allowed a second chance at Hogwarts and although I failed, Albus believed in me," she looked over to the Headmaster and smiled at him. He smiled back, prompting her to go on, "The teaching staff at Hogwarts believed in me and that is why I am standing here today and how I discovered the cure for Psyrot. I hope that the Wizarding Community can forgive me for all the things that have come to light about my past. I hope they understand that I had an extremely difficult childhood and I am afraid to think of what I might have become if I wasn't surrounded and guided by great wizards such as Albus and my Uncle Lucius," he walked forward and took her hand. Her brows were pressed forward and her eyes were emotive, "I also hope that Igor and Emily will forgive me for everything I did in my youth. Thank you."

She gave a curt nod at the end of her statement and Lucius whisked Lyra away from the group of journalists as they began to talk over one another, clambouring towards Lyra to get more of her story. Albus walked on the other side of her, allowing distance between her and the crowd they headed towards the elevator. The older wizard pressed the button for level nine and the elevator shifted.

"You did well, Lyra," Lucius said.

Albus nodded in agreement. Lyra was hesitant to say more, feeling as though she had said enough for a lifetime having had explained her life. Of course, she had twisted it to a degree to appeal to the public but most of it was true. She was sure the press would eat it up and it would be on the cover of every newspaper and magazine for weeks to come. She sighed a breath of relief and leaned on the wall behind her.

Soon, the elevator came to a stop and a cool female voice said, "Level Nine, Department of Mysteries."

Albus lead the way, Lyra following closely behind with Lucius at her back. They headed down the nare black corridor and headed towards the left down a flight of steps. A long way down the corridor was the destination, as Albus pushed open the door Lyra saw a sea of plum coloured robed witches and wizards in the cold stone room. Her eyes gravitated to those not dressed in those robes.

The Minister of Magic was in amongst them chatting and spotted the entrance of the three people who had just entered. Lyra's interest was drawn away towards four other familiar faces, belonging to her old friends from Durmstrang. Her face lit up at the sight of them as they waved at her, their grins matching hers.

"Lyra Lestrange," the Minister said, bringing her attention back, "What an honour to meet you." He extended a hand towards the witch and she took it. "Lucius and Albus have told me wonderful things about you. Thank you so much for your contributions to the community. I don't know what we could've done without your cure."

"Thank you, sir," she said.

Cornelius turned to address the Wizengamot, "Let us begin the formalities."

Lucius guided her to a seat near the front of the room and he sat next to her as the others began to shuffle into the benches. Albus took a seat next to her Uncle, smiling at Lyra as he took his place. She returned the smile and noticed Gustav sneak in through the door, taking a seat up near Syrin and the rest of her Durmstang friends, armed with a quill and parchment. Once the court had settled, Cornelius presided over the room.

"In days gone by, there have existed many witches and wizards who serviced the populace through their skill and achievements," he said, reading off of a scroll of parchment. "Since the 15th century we in the Wizengamot have recognised those of great skill and honour through the Order of Merlin. Members of the Order of Merlin are distinguished individuals who have contributed to the betterment of wizardkind through their bravery, brilliance and or talents. Today, another witch will join their ranks. I call Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock, and Lucius Malfoy to bear witness to Lyra Lestrange's contributions."

Albus and Lucius stood and approached Cornelius, standing in a short row next to him.

"Minister," Albus said with a deep bow, "I affirm that Lyra Lestrange has demonstrated her skill in magic and made a significant contribution to the store of knowledge for Healing."

"Minister," Lucius said, following suit. "I affirm that Lyra Lestrange has freely given her time in support of many worthy projects, particularly in pursuit of the cure of Psyrot. I believe that she is of distinguished character and always pursues excellence."

"I thank you for your counsel," Cornelius said. "I call Lyra Lestrange to come before this Court and Company."

Nervously, Lyra stood. She was extremely conscious of each set of eyes that was gazing upon her as she took each step towards the three wizards who were already standing in the centre of the room. Cornelius gestured in front of him for her take her place and he turned to face her.

"Lyra Lestrange," he said, "Today I present to you the white ribbon for your contribution to our store of knowledge. May you wear it honourably and continue to contribute to wizardkind's knowledge of diseases and their remedies."

"I will," she said.

Cornelius pinned the golden badge with white ribboning to the fabric of her dress. He turned to face the court once more. "Lyra Lestrange has shown excellence in her field of knowledge, rendering high and noble service to the Ministry and to all witches and wizards everywhere. Today we elevate Lyra Lestrange's standing to that of Order of Merlin, Third Class. For Lyra Lestrange, Order of Merlin Third Class let us raise our wands."

Each witch and wizard raised their wand to the ceiling, including the four present on stage. There was a flash of a camera and everyone lowered their wand.

"Go now and greet your peers," Cornelius dismissed the congregation.

Lucius embraced his niece once more, "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Uncle," she replied before releasing him.

"I took the liberty of inviting your friends," he said, gesturing towards the five of them who were waiting to speak to her.

"I appreciate it," she said with a smile, "I'll just say hello." She sauntered towards her old peer group, "Hey guys!"

"Lyra Lestrange, Order of Merlin," Syrin said, "How fancy." She pulled the witch in for a hug and laid a kiss on her cheek, "How've you been?"

"Good, good,' Lyra replied, "It's been a very interesting and busy past few months. I'm glad you guys could make it."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Gustav said, "You've been causing a lot of trouble in the presses, no doubt you'll be on every cover of every paper and magazine. You owe me an exclusive."

She laughed, "Only if you put me up for your wedding."

"As long as I get to cover a story about your mystery boyfriend," he taunted.

"Mystery boyfriend?" she heard a male voice from behind her ask. A quick turn of her head was enough to confirm that it was indeed her Uncle asking the question. She looked back at Gustav who had already opened his mouth, her eyes were shooting daggers but had no effect on what he had to say.

"Yeah, I met him in Hogsmeade," he said, "A colleague of hers, dark looking man with a latin sounding name."

"Severus?" Lucius offered a suggestion.

"That's it, Severus," Gustav said, earning a sharp jab in his ribs from his wife.

"Oh, Severus," Lyra said, trying to recover, "It was just a short term affair, nothing lasting." She gave a pleasant smile and wrapped an arm around her Uncle, bringing him forward. "You remember my Uncle, Lucius."

"Of course," Syrin said, "You hosted us over New Years in that beautiful house. We enjoyed our stay."

"Perhaps you should all come over once more and we can all have dinner," he offered, "You are all welcome stay at the Manor afterwards if you please."

"Oh, we shouldn't impose," Syrin replied.

"Nonsense," he replied, "It's no imposition, please."

"It'd be a great opportunity for me to interview not only Lyra, but her distinguished Uncle," Gustav said, grinning from ear to ear.

"I would enjoy that very much," Lucius said, "You're all welcome to floo there once this is over, but for now you'll have to excuse us. There's some people that would like to meet Lyra."

"I'll see you after," she said before waving, her Uncle gripped her shoulder tightly and guided her away from her friends and towards the crowd of plum. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "You are playing with fire and I am sick of telling you that you are about to get burned."

Her Uncle's warning was enough to send a chill down her spine. Her expression hardened but she found it melting once more as Lucius guided her to the Minister of Magic.

"Lyra Lestrange," Cornelius said fondly, "What a pleasure to meet you, sorry we didn't get to catch up before the formalities. Your Uncle has told me all about you of course, he's quite proud of your work and I am forever grateful of you finding the antidote for Psyrot. Tell me, how did you figure it out?"

Lyra recounted the past few months, her story dragging the attention of the majority of the attendees in the room to her. They all listened closely as she told them the step by step process, recounting it in an entertaining way. Everyone who eavesdropped found themselves captivated by her she was finished each member of the Wizengamot took the time to formally introduce themself to her. She was overwhelmed by the faces she had to remember and the names she would have to recall but she received each one of their wishes warmly.

Finally, after an hour of chatting over tea and biscuits that were provided they were all shooed out of the courtroom. Slowly, they all made their way back up to the Atrium. Lyra found herself surrounded by reporters once more and was relieved when she arrived safely into the living room of the Malfoy Manor, her friends already waiting.

She collapsed onto the sofa that sat opposite the fireplace, sighing deeply as she relaxed into the chair, "What a day."

"Lyra, I am so sorry about mentioning Severus," Gustav said, "I didn't know."

She smiled and shook her head, "It's fine, it's over now."

"The half blood?" Feliks asked, earning a nod from Lyra.

"It's for the best," Ilya commented.

"Oh, so that's why," Syrin chimed in.

"That and he's been a family friend for years," Lyra replied, "It got a bit awkward."

"You'll find someone eventually," Anneli piped up, "I recently met someone."

"Do tell us," Syrin begged, "Is he coming to the wedding?"

The six of them began to gossip about their lives before they were called to tea. They joined Lucius, Narcissa and Draco who were already waiting to eat. They engaged in idle chatter as they dug into a three course meal before Gustav couldn't withhold his curiosity any longer.

"What was Lyra like as a child?" he asked.

"Are you seriously interviewing my family over dinner?" Lyra asked.

"Let them answer," Syrin said, "I'd love to hear what they have to say."

"Lyra was a rather gifted child," Lucius said, "She used to come by when she was younger and I taught her how to play piano. I'd often find her in the library lost in some book. She has always had a thirst for knowledge."

"She also used to help me look after Draco when she was on holidays," Narcissa added, "She'd spoil him rotten but she was like a big sister to him."

"And what do you think of your cousin, Draco?" Gustav asked.

"I love her," the young boy replied, "She'd always make time to play with me and read to me. She would always help me with my homework."

"She wasn't any trouble?" Gustav prompted.

"Apart from the two incidents that were revealed to the public today, no," Lucius answered, "She was well behaved and good mannered."

"I forgot that you played piano," Syrin said, directed to Lyra, "Perhaps after tea you and your Uncle could give us a show."

"Of course," Lucius replied.

The two obliged, the dinner party gathering in the lounge room once they had finished. Lucius played a simple accompaniment and Lyra sang along. It was a enchanting melody, the two instruments synthesising beautifully with one another. Lyra's sweet timbre contrasted well against the tinkling of keys.

The song came to its end and the room applauded, Lucius bowed with his niece before excusing himself and Narcissa to bed. For once, Draco didn't beg Lyra to put him to bed and instead excused himself in the same manner his parents did. Lyra laughed but the moment was bittersweet as she realised that her young cousin was quickly growing up. She didn't allow herself to dwell on it too long, her friends continued to talk before they all decided to retire to the comfort of their rooms.

When morning came Lyra and her friends found them seated around the dining table once more, sharing a meal. Once breakfast was done Lyra waited until each of her friends took their leave, flooing home. Lyra herself was anxious to leave but she knew courtesy dictated that she wait for her guests to return home first. She just wanted to get out of there before Lucius and Narcissa could confront her about Severus again.

Anneli was the last to leave the Manor, giving Lyra a tight hug before her departure. "I'll see you next week for the curse breaking lessons, yes?" she asked.

"Yes," Lyra said with enthusiasm, nodding, "I'm keen to see you again.

Anneli grinned in return, "I'll see you then." She took a handful of floo powder and stepped into the fireplaces. As the green flames engulfed her she said, "Meyer's Curse Breaking Shoppe."

Lyra watched her friend disappear and the flames slowly die. She was half tempted to run into the fireplace after her and floo to Hogwarts herself but she knew that her family would be less than impressed by her behaviour. She wandered onto the lounge room, Lucius had his head buried in a book whilst Narcissa and Draco were nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Draco and Aunt Cissy?" she asked.

"They've gone to see your Grandfather again," Lucius said. He stood, shutting his book as he got up and discarded it on the table before approaching Lyra. "Which gives us an opportunity to talk."

"About?" Lyra asked, feigning innocence.

"You've always been poor at lying to me, Lyra," he said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Ironic seeing as your performance yesterday was flawless."

"Who's to say I wasn't speaking the truth?"

"You'd be a wonderful politician," he said, with a smile and a gentle touch of her cheek. "Pity that didn't interest you."

Lyra merely tilted her head and smirked, "So you'd have more of a hand in manipulating the Ministry?"

"See, you've already got me rambling about a topic away from what I intended," he replied, letting go of her face. "You knew I was going to confront you about Severus. Tell me the truth, Lyra, are you still seeing him?"

Lyra's face remained unchanged, ensuring she was employing the occlumency techniques she had been practicing. "No," she answered firmly.

She didn't see it coming, Lucius reached up and firmly slapped her across the face. She was shocked by the sting, tears welling in her eyes. She just tried to breathe through the shock.

Lucius grabbed her by the chin and forced her to look at her. His tight grip made the tears spill as she looked directly at him. She felt a deep shame and guilt in her chest, all she wanted to do was cry but she knew better than to allow herself to be vulnerable.

"Don't lie to me," he spat each word out slowly. He let her chin go and held his hand out ready.

"I'm not lying," she said, her eyes hollow.

Another sharp blow connected to her face, all she wanted to do was caress it and cry but she simply turned to look back at him once more. "I don't want to treat you like a child but it doesn't seem like the lesson is sinking in," he said, "I don't want to speak to you about this anymore. End it." With that, Lucius left her, red cheeked and with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Furiously, she wiped her tears away and walked out of the Manor, down the pathway and out of the anti-apparition barrier. The short walk was enough for the feelings that had welled up to be cast aside. Lyra's only thought was that she needed to become a better liar, particularly towards her Uncle. She took a breath and summoned a mirror, holding it up to her face she quickly healed the broken vessels under the skin, erasing the heavy red mark her Uncle's hand had left against her face.

There.

She traced the once reddened skin with her fingertips. She looked normal again. With a happy expression she apparated back to Hogwarts and made the walk back to her rooms.

The journey took significantly longer than expected as each student she crossed paths with wanted to say congratulations and take a look at the badge. She obliged but by the time she had found her way back to her room the sun had set. Lyra headed straight for the fireplace and flooed down to Severus' quarters.

She felt relief at the sight of him, feeling as though the past 24 hours without him had taken its toll on her. There was no expectations, she no longer had to hold a front, she could just be herself.

"Heard you made quite a commotion coming back," Severus said as he approached the fireplace, offering a hand to her as she stepped out.

She smirked slightly, "I made a commotion everywhere I went."

He pulled her in for a light kiss on the lips before embracing her, "I take it it didn't go as smoothly as you thought it would?"

"It went as well as I expected," she replied, relaxing slightly into his arms.

Severus let go of her and drew his wand, he flicked it towards a cabinet and out came a bottle of wine with two goblets. It uncorked itself and poured as they settled into the armchairs. Another lazy flick ignited the fireplace. He plucked the wine out of the air and looked over to his companion, "Do tell."

She exhaled a laugh and took a sip of wine before speaking, "Narcissa fussed over me then when I arrived at the Ministry I was hounded by reporters, oh yeah, you remember that howler I got with the mysterious voice?" She waited for his nod before continuing, "Jack Thompson?"

He snarled, "That Gryffindor?"

"The very same," she smirked, "He brought up Emily then Dumbledore came to my rescue then Skeeter brought up Karkaroff."

"How did she know?"

"I don't know, Lucius said those records were sealed," she sighed, "I assume she followed the Durmstrang trail and found it. I handed it cooly though."

"Of course."

"Then there was the ceremony which wasn't as long and boring as I thought it would be," she continued, "My friends from Durmstrang came along which was nice."

"I'm glad you had people to support you," he said, watching her face carefully. He noticed a microexpression, her eye twitching in disagreement, "What happened?"

"They came over for tea and stayed the night which is why I wasn't back last night."

"Nothing else?"

Her eyes narrowed, "Am I really that bad of a liar?"

"You wear your heart on your sleeve, Lyra," he said, "Your face gives you away, were you caught out?"

Lyra's stomach felt unsettled and she pursed her lips before taking a deep sip of her wine.

"Lucius?"

"How do you know?"

"No one else would get under your skin as much as him," he said, "You admire him too much. He knows?" He saw her jaw tense and that was enough for him. "How did he react?" Her eye twitched once more. Whatever it was, the contempt was apparent on her face and he saw herself almost shrinking into a young girl again.

Lyra felt him rattle around her brain slightly, simply plucking the memory that was fresh in her mind and reading it easily.

"Does he regularly slap you?" he asked.

"Not since I was a child," she said, "Never across the face."

He reached over and held her hand to offer her a simple comfort. He squeezed her hand, "You need to learn how to lie better, my love, as well as keep your mind closed better." Another tight squeeze brought her back from her thoughts. She nodded. "It shouldn't be so easy for me to read your thoughts after all that training," he said, "Perhaps we need to practice once more. Or perhaps you need to get used to getting hit." A tongue darted between his lips.

"What are you going to do?" she asked in an almost taunting fashion, "Are you going to spank me?"

"Get over my knee," he said, letting go of her hand and setting down his wine glass.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"Don't make me ask again," he said sternly.

His voice and his words was enough to make her flush, butterflies began to tickle her stomach. Nervously, she placed her glass on the table and she moved into position against his thighs. She felt him tug up her skirt, exposing her lace g-string.

Severus smirked as he caressed her bare cheeks, "It's almost as if you were expecting this."

Lyra felt her cheeks burn from embarrassment, all she wanted to do was run and hide but the heat and arousal she felt in her chest and stomach had her anchored to the spot. Her mind was focused on everything she was experiencing in that moment from the feelings that stirred within her to Severus' calloused hands that rub against the soft skin of buttocks. She felt a teasing finger run down the material of her panties, between her cheeks and towards the heat of her pussy. She then felt that finger disappear and instead wrap around the elastic band of her knickers, pulling it up taut so it would uncomfortably rub against her quim.

"How many should I give you?" he pondered aloud, "Let's start with ten. Count them out for me."

She felt the rush of air and slap of skin before the sting set in. It didn't feel as bad as she thought it would, instead the pain was arousing and the embarrassment from finding such an act arousing made her throat go dry, her stomach was in knots. "One," she whispered as she felt the burn in the flesh on her face.

He hit her once more, right on top of the same place. She winced in pain and shock. "Louder," he demanded.

"Two," she said clearly despite her heightened self awareness.

"Better," he said before slapping down once more, this time hitting the other cheek.

"Three." She was relieved at the hit, thankful he didn't choose to strike the same spot but that thanks didn't last long as his hand came down on the spot he had just hit. "Four."

The remainder of his slaps alternated between each cheek. Occasionally he'd wait, his hand hovering just above the surface leaving Lyra in anticipation of the next hit. When she finally choked out the last number his hand rubbed the tender area. His fingers were too keen to wander, finding their way to the material slotted in the crack of her buttocks. They wandered down and found Lyra's all too apparent arousal.

"Did you enjoy that, my love?" he teased as a finger slid easily into the tight heat of her pussy.

She moaned, her face still flushed, her resolve gone to the point where she held the same shyness during their first few times together.

"Hop up," he said as he pulled his finger out and her dress back down, returning her modesty.

She removed herself from his lap, sitting back on her knees. She rested her head on his knees and Severus reached to caress her face. "Are you alright, my love?" he asked with an affectionate stroke of her face.

She nodded, "That was a bit intense."

"Do you want to stop for a bit?" he asked, "Unwind in the bath, perhaps?"

"Did you have more in store?"

"Of course," he said, "But it can wait for another day."

"It's not more spanking is it?"

"We've had enough of that for today," he replied, "I was hoping to get you into bed with me and let me have my way with you."

She sucked in her bottom lip, nodded once more. "Ok."

"We don't need to force anything if you're not up for it," he said.

"I want you," she whispered in a sultry tone.

"Go strip and lie down on the bed," he instructed.

Lyra stood up and followed his directions, waiting on bed for him. She sits up and watches him disrobe using his wand, his shirt folding itself into a tidy pile on the bedside table whilst his pants were still on. He climbed up onto the bed with Lyra, situating himself next to the witch.

They kiss, their hands began to roam one another's bodies and soon enough, Lyra's fingers were wrapped around the waistband of his trousers with the want to fully disrobe him and allow him to bury himself fully into her but that wasn't what he had planned.

Severus grabbed her wrist, pinning it above her. His other hand found her free one and it too joined it's twin, pinned to the mattress. In one smooth motion he moved on top of her and hovered with his knees on either side. When she began to struggle and tease him, he set some of his weight down onto her hips, trapping her.

The dynamic was exhilarating to her; the power he had over her, the lack of control she had over the situation. She found herself easily giving in to him as he dipped down, leaving a kiss on her lips and trailing down her body. One hand kept her arms in place, she struggled slightly to see if it was an illusion but he held her down all too well.

He took one breast into his mouth whilst the other one was tweaked and groped by his hand. The stimulation went straight to her groin. She could feel the heat building inside her and all she wanted was for him to take her. Strangled moans fell from her lips as he continued to tease her.

He was enjoying it all too well and relished in knowing that Lyra was his. There wasn't any damn way that Lucius was going to take her from him or scare either of them away from this. He wanted her and he wanted her to know that she was his.

When he finally gave up appreciating her breasts, which seemed like forever to Lyra and had her on the brink of insanity, he slid down her body and found his way between her legs. She was slick with arousal, the sticky wetness that came from her pussy was leaking and had already left a mark on the bed. He smirked and slid two fingers in, pulling them out to show to her.

"Look at the mess you've made," he said, spreading his fingers to demonstrate how lubed his fingers were.

"Sev," she begged, her face red and her heart feeling as though it was beating out of her chest, "Please."

"Please what?"

"Please make me come," she panted, her hips edging towards him.

"My pleasure," he said before sucking the wetness off of his fingers.

The lewd act made her blush harder, if that was even possible, and she watched as his head dipped down between her thighs. She watched his eyes smile as she felt his tongue darted between her folds and circled her clit. Two fingers entered her and began to pump in and out slowly. The pace was agonising, she tried to thrust up into them and quicken him but he raised his head, "If you keep squirming I'll have to tie you up."

She swallowed hard and tried to breathe slowly through the tortuous rhythm. Eventually he sped up and she felt her orgasm near. Her eyes clamped shut and her body tensed before she felt the release of her climax. Severus' fingers kept thrusting and his tongue kept teasing her. She couldn't help but writhe beneath him. He reached for his wand and directed it at her, ropes wrapping around her wrists and ankles, tying themselves to the four posts of the bed until her limbs were spread.

His fingers were curled up, hitting the soft flesh of her g-spot with every insertion. With his mouth tired he sat up, his fingers still continuing the assault as he watched the reaction of her face and body. Her eyes locked in with his and he took the liberty of using legilimens on her as she came again.

All he saw was a soft white and the warm embrace of an orgasm. He tried to delve deeper than what she felt on the surface but her thoughts were locked tightly away. He wanted to test her more so he drove her to orgasm once more, this time with finger probing into the tightness of her ass.

Lyra was overwhelmed by the stimulation but gods, it felt so good. The feeling and warmth of each orgasm was intoxicating and she felt herself unravelling over and over again. She did notice when Severus probed into her mind and despite feeling relaxed in the afterglow of her climax she managed to keep her thoughts and memories locked away. All he could read was what she felt.

After the fifth orgasm, Severus freed himself of his pants using his wand before directing it towards the ropes on the bed. They vanished but Lyra's body didn't move from its position, her head still reeling from the bliss of coming so many times in quick succession.

As desperate as he was to sheathe his cock he lay next to her, pulling her into a tight hug. He peppered kisses on her cheek to rouse her, "Are you ok, my love?"

She hummed before nodding, "Yeah, wonderful."

"I want to fuck you," he growled in her ear, his cock grinding against her bottom.

"As long as you do all the work, I'm happy," she laughed.

"Ok," he whispered, leaving one more kiss on her cheek before returning to between her legs. In one swift motion he buried his cock into the heat of her pussy and with a deep moan he thrust in and out quickly. He knew he wouldn't last long, having restrained himself from fucking his lover for so long.

Despite being overstimulated by the multiple orgasms, Lyra's body still craved more. She reached down between her legs and rubbed herself quickly to completion once more. The clenching and pulsating of her cunt was enough to throw Severus over the edge and with a deep grunt he came inside her.

The two of them were spent and found themselves falling asleep soon after, Lyra wrapped tightly in Severus' arms.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty Five - Cursed**

Despite the fact that Lyra was on the front page of every magazine and newspaper for the week following the award, she still managed to carry on with teaching as per usual. Of course, there were the occasional questions about her life that would pop up but Lyra would redirect them to their work, if not they'd lose 5 house points. That was enough to deter the questions and keep her students focused on their school work.

Each day seemed to go by so quickly in anticipation of the school holidays but Lyra still had one more lesson she was looking forward to teaching before school broke up. She had planned for Anneli to come in and guide her seventh years in the art of curse detection and breaking, seeing as her parents owned a shop and she was well versed in the topic. It was also a good excuse for her to catch up with one of her old friends.

Lyra headed early into Hogsmeade that morning and met with Anneli, having a quick breakfast before making the walk back to Hogwarts.

"Wow," Anneli said as they cleared the forest, "It's that castle then?"

"Yep," Lyra replied.

"Goodness," her friend commented, "It's way bigger than Durmstrang, wouldn't you get lost?"

Lyra laughed, "Of course, it doesn't help that there's an enchanted staircase but you get used to it."

"Enchanted staircase?" Anneli repeated, "You'll have to show me that."

The pair of witches made their way to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, Lyra taking the route via the enchanted staircase. Anneli stared in wonder and watched the students flawlessly move about on the stairs but when it came to her turn she was quite apprehensive, holding onto Lyra's hand as she navigated the steps.

They arrived at Classroom 3C with just enough time to spare for preparation. They placed a small weakly cursed artefact on each desk for students to practice on. Soon enough, the seventh years began to file in and take their seats.

"Morning class," Lyra said as they settled in, "I have a special treat for you today. For our double period we will be covering Dark Magic artefacts and to help me out I have invited my friend Anneli." She gestured towards her friend and the class gave her a warm round of applause as a welcome.

"Thank you," Anneli said as she stepped forward, blushing slightly and giving a half bow.

"Anneli's family have run a curse breaking shop in Switzerland for several generations," Lyra explained, "So she is our go to expert in curse breaking today and later on she will be guiding us in curse detection and removal techniques which you will practice on the objects that are sitting there on your desks.

So over the past six years of studying Defence Against the Dark Arts you would've covered information about Dark Creatures you may encounter and spells that will aid you in combat but cursed objects have not been touched upon. This is due to the degree of magical ability needed to deal with dark artefacts as well as the potential harm these objects can inflict upon you. Now, you're all NEWT students so I expect you all to be mature enough to handle this and I can assure you this will be on your test at the end of the year so you all best pay attention during this lesson.

Some of you may sense the darkness the objects in front of you possess and some may even feel the temptation to touch and play with it. This is all a part of the compelling nature of the Dark Arts. Now, if you do play with it, not to worry, I have enchanted it with a light curse that will give you a shock if you touch it." Lyra paused for a moment and watched a student's curiosity get the better of them and touch the object.

"OW!" they yelled as they sprung out of their seat.

Lyra's brow furrowed and rolled her eyes before continuing, "This is to teach you to not touch dark and mysterious objects you may encounter on your travels, you should treat an artefact with caution and never directly touch it. You all learnt the levitation charm in first year for a reason. If you have any doubt that an object may or may not be cursed, use it."

She walked towards a cabinet that stood tall next to her desk and displayed an eclectic mix of objects, all of which she had pinched from Lucius' own collection of Dark Magic artefacts. "Now, I know many of you have been wondering about the objects that reside in here," she said as she drew her wand and unlocked it. "In here is a variety of Dark Magic artefacts that have been collected during travels or purchased from collectors. You will notice a running theme and I hope by the end you can point it out."

Using a levitation charm she brought out a necklace on a stand that sat on the middle shelf of the cupboard, "This is a beautiful piece of jewellery, don't you think? Anneli, could you tell me what's wrong with it?"

Anneli drew her wand and orally cast two simple spells, an identification one and a curse detecting one. "It seems pretty normal," she shrugged, "A necklace that claims to invigorate you."

"Would you put it on?" Lyra asked.

Anneli's eyes narrowed, casting another detection spell which caused the object to glow green for a brief second. "I'd rather not suffocate," she said.

Lyra smiled, "This is a necklace of strangulation. It identifies as a necklace that will benefit you but in fact will tighten around your neck and not be unable to be removed unless you're rather strong, use oil or a curse removal spell."

Lyra pulled out each object one by one and described its use whilst Anneli would demonstrate identification and detection spells. There was a black ring that granted the wearer invisibility but was unable to be removed and slowly consuming the person's skin with darkness until their arm fell off; a bloodied cape that increased the strength of one's magic at the cost of their humanity; a genie lamp that would trap the person who rubbed it inside until they were wished to be free; two masks that were of the face of an animal which would give a special ability but would be unable to be removed after a minute and slowly turn the wearer into that animal; an Idol with a soul of a Wizard inside it that would possess the one who touched it; and a mermaid music box that would make you fall asleep as long as it played but if opened underwater would call mermaids to you. Each object was laid out after their description on Lyra's desk for students to have a look and try out some spells on them for themselves towards the end of the lesson.

The lesson continued with Anneli teaching the class a few essential curse detection and removal spells which they all practiced on the objects on their desks. There was a brief question and answer session with Anneli about her career. Charlie Weasley gushed about his older brother who had moved to Egypt two years prior and was learning to be a cursebreaker for Gringotts, the Wizarding Bank. The conversation attracted the attention of one student, Ian Reis, who also aspired to become a cursebreaker. Their discussion went well into the recess between second and third period with Lyra ducking out of the classroom to snag a small bite to eat for the two witches. When she returned, Anneli was halfway out the door of the classroom, still speaking to the student.

Lyra smiled as she approached, "Still chatting away I see."

"Sorry, Professor Lestrange," Ian said.

"Don't be sorry," she said, "I'm glad I've been able to introduce you to someone in the field you're interested in."

"I really appreciate it," he replied, "I should let you two eat before the next class."

"Do feel free to owl me any questions, Ian," Anneli said as she drew her wand, summoning a business card. "Always open to giving advice to any future cursebreakers."

Ian grabbed the card and smiled, "Thank you Anneli and Professor Lestrange. I hope you two have a good day."

"Thanks," the two witches replied as he walked off.

"That was a lot of fun," Anneli commented on the time that had passed as the pair walked down the hall and ate the small snacks that Lyra had foraged from the staff room. "You have a real knack for teaching."

Lyra laughed, "You think so?"

"Yeah," she replied, "You have a lot of knowledge to give. Are you going to stick with it or return to Healing?"

"I still don't know," Lyra sighed, "I mean, I won an Order of Merlin for my work as a Healer and there's still so much to learn in the field. I feel like teaching is something you do when you know it all and you've gone out and actually learnt all there is to know."

"Oh yeah, I understand," Anneli replied.

"Sort of only did it as a favour to Dumbledore," she said, "And because I just felt a bit lost when it came to healing but it's definitely reignited my passion for it."

"Then you should do it," Anneli said with a smile, "Follow your passion."

"How about you?"

The witches chatted briefly, Lyra showing off more of the Hogwarts grounds before they returned to her classroom. As they approached it they heard a commotion from inside, the second year students had already entered the classroom as the door was left unlocked.

"Holy hell!" she heard a male student yell, "I can see all the way to the Quidditch pitch! Even into the Forbidden Forest!"

Lyra pushed the door open and there was Fred and George Weasley wearing a cursed mask each, the artefacts had been left on the table. Fred was looking out of the window, wearing a brilliant blue mask covered in feathers whilst George was standing at the front of the classroom, wearing a red dragon mask breathing fire.

"Fred and George!" Lyra yelled, "You take that off this instant. No one touch anything else on the table."

She glanced around the room and counted the students, quickly discovering one was missing along with another object, the black ring. "Lee Jordan, you better make yourself visible now!" she shouted.

"I can't take it off," George said, pulling at the mask.

"Neither can I," Fred said.

Lyra walked briskly towards George, quickly casting a curse removal spell and pulling off the mask. Anneli did the same to Fred but instead the mask wasn't coming off. She tried a couple more times as Lee Jordan reappeared and Lyra quickly removed the ring with a spell.

"Lyra, it's not working," Anneli said in a panicked voice.

"What do you mean?" Lyra said rushing towards Fred who was starting to panic.

"I can't see!" he shouted as his hands pulled at the mask, "I can't see! Fuck, Professor, sorry but I can't see."

His irises were clouded, white as though he had gone blind. Frantically, Lyra attempted the curse removal spell she had used on the other two boys and it also didn't work. "Shit," she exclaimed, her head beginning to tick over what she could do. "You try to remove the curse while I go get Severus."

She ran upstairs to her room and flooed down to Severus' office. She ran out, bursting into the potions classroom, "Severus, I need you. It's urgent."

Severus remained composed, striding towards Lyra with confidence as he said, "Class dismissed, I expect you all to go and write an essay on the history of Wolfsbane. Leave my classroom as you found it."

Once they were out of earshot Lyra quickly explained, "Fred Weasley got cursed by an artefact."

"How?"

"I didn't put the artefacts away after the lesson," Lyra said, "Anneli was talking to a student and I left her there to grab morning tea and when I came back she was outside and I just forgot that they were still out. I thought she put them away, I should've done it myself. Fuck, I was so careless, Sev."

"Were they one of Lucius'?"

Lyra didn't respond, her look alone was answer enough to Severus. He entered the fireplace first, Lyra following after him as they flooed back up to Classroom 3C. As they hurried down the stairs they noticed the students gathered around Fred in a circle as he lay unconscious on the ground.

"I'm so sorry, Lyra," Anneli said.

 **Author's Note:** Dun dun dunnnnn. A short yet dramatic chapter.

I've been trying to pump out this story because I'm really excited about writing the sequel and getting to cover Lyra and Sev during the Harry Potter books, particularly the war. Can't believe there's only seven chapters left. What a whirlwind from an idea that stemmed from re-reading the Harry Potter books.

I'm a bit annoyed that I didn't include much of Fred and George earlier, like I feel like I should've written more about their relationship with Lyra but tbh, I think Lyra would've gotten along with them but they would've definitely had the Marauder's Map at this time and possibly seen her spending an awful lot of time in Severus' headquarters.

I took a lot of inspiration from Dungeons and Dragons items for the Dark Magic Artefacts because I'm really bad at being creative in that way but yeah. No copyright infringement intended.

Let me know what you think!


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty Six - The Deal**

"All of you go," Severus commanded as he glided down the stairs, "Except for you Weasley."

The students left, whispering harshly to one another as they filed out, looking over their shoulders back at Lyra. She could feel the judgement in their gazes, her stomach sinking and nausea overcoming her. She looked down at the boy, attempting to focus on him but instead admonishing herself for her negligence.

Severus was hovering over the boy, muttering incantations as George tightly held onto his brother's hand. He noticed that as time passed the texture of his hand was changing; his skin was rough and his fingers grew long almost into talons. He looked down at his hand and pulled the sleeve up, feathers were starting to appear.

"What the fuck is happening?" he asked in a panicked voice.

"It seems like your brother is turning into a bird of some sort," Severus responded.

"A bird?!" George repeated, "Is he going to be ok?"

"It won't kill him," Severus answered as he straightened up, "We best take him to the Hospital Wing."

Lyra nodded before turning to her friend, "Anneli, you can go home."

"Lyra, I'm so sorry," the woman responded, "It was my fault, I should've put it away."

Lyra shook her head, "It was my responsibility. Please, just go. I'll let you know what happens, there's nothing you can do."

Anneli sighed, hesitating before taking her leave. Lyra placed the remainder of the artefact in the cabinet and ensured it was locked as Severus summoned a stretcher, levitating Fred Weasley onto it.

As the four of them made their way to the Hospital Wing, Severus cast muffliato to ensure that Lyra and himself could speak in private.

"I don't think I can remove the curse without breaking the mask," he said, "Even if I did, I'm not entirely sure Weasley will ever look the same. Poppy may be able to reverse the effects but it is Dark Magic, Lyra."

"Merlin," she exclaimed, "I've really fucked up."

"The only other way I see out of this predicament is Lucius."

"He's going to fucking kill me, Sev."

"Probably should've thought of that before you went pinching his prized possessions and leaving them out for children to play with."

She let out an exasperated sigh.

"They are his artefacts," he continued, "He will know how to counteract the curse."

"Ah yes, that will go well," she said, "Hey, Uncle Lucy, I stole one of your artefacts and whoops, it's cursed one of the Weasley boys, you know that family of blood traitors you love so well, yep, great. Thanks, could you just come with me so we could reverse it so he doesn't turn into a fucking bird."

"I could go and speak to him."

She laughed, "Oh yes, that'll look well. I'll send my secret boyfriend, the one he wants me to end my relationship with to his house so he can kill him. Or maybe you'll be lucky Sev and he'll just castrate you instead."

"Look," he said stopping and turning to face her, "Either you go and ask him or you come back with one of his priceless artefacts broken and possibly lose your job and Order of Merlin for endangering the Weasley's life."

She gritted her teeth, "Fine. I'll go. Once we have him settled in."

"Go now," he demanded, "I'll deal with everything here."

Lyra let out a growl of resistance but surrendered, following Severus' instruction and rushing out of Hogwarts, clear of the anti-apparation barrier.

She braced herself as she arrived at the gates of Malfoy Manor, apprehensive to engage with her Uncle given their last interaction but it was necessary. Quickly, she made her way down the path and into the Manor.

"Uncle Lucius," she called sweetly as she entered.

"In here," he answered, his voice carrying from the rear lounge room.

She took long strides towards the room and took a breath before pushing the door open. She smiled at the sight of him, "Uncle."

With one hand he shut his book and peered over it, his eyes narrowed at his niece, suspicious of her intentions. "What brings you here in the middle of a school day?"

"Can't I pop in unannounced on my favourite uncle?" she asked nervously.

"What have you done?" he asked.

She strained her neck and rubbed it sheepishly before continuing, "I may or may not have borrowed something of you that may or may not have been cursed and a student may or may not be in the Hospital Wing because he tried to wear it."

Lucius' eyes shut for a moment and he exhaled a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself but his jaw was very obviously still tense. He slammed his book down on the table and sucked in his lips, his hand clenched for a moment before he released it. Another deep breath was taken as he attempted to gather some patience for his niece before speaking. "What did you take?" he asked.

"Just a few things for class," she answered, her shoulders rising slightly in a half shrug. "He's wearing the feather mask, Anneli and I tried to remove it but it wouldn't work."

"What did you take?" he repeated with venom this time.

"The black ring, the bloodied cape, the idol, the necklace of strangulation and the dragon mask," she listed.

His jaw tensed once more and he shook his head, picking his book up. "You're on your own," he said as he reopened the book.

"What?" she asked in shock as her stomach sunk once more.

"Yet again you find yourself in some sort of predicament and I have to be the one to dig you out of it," he said, closing the book once more. He shrugged, "You have shown very little appreciation for what I have done for you, Lyra. I took you in, gave you a home and all I have done is protect you, yet you still disrespect my authority whether it be running off to be a teacher at Hogwarts when you have a career as a healer, fucking a mudblood instead of marrying someone pure and now to top it all off you've taken my things without permission."

"Uncle," she began.

"No," he said, "I have given you endless chances and it is obvious that you do not want to be a part of this family."

"I do," she rebutted.

He shook his head, "You have shown no evidence of such."

Lyra felt tears brimming, her rebellious nature was quelled and instead her need for approval was rife. Slowly, she walked towards her uncle and knelt, bowing her head. "I'm sorry."

Her stomach was twisted as tears fell. Her voice was shaky as she continued to speak, "Uncle Lucius, I'm so sorry. Please help me."

Lucius reached out, his hand finding her chin and gripping it lightly, lifting it so she would look at him. His other hand wiped away her tears. "Oh Lyra," he said, "You know I only do this because I love you." He stroked her cheek, "There are some things you need to learn the hard way."

She swallowed hard and shut her eyes. She couldn't stand looking into her uncle's piercing grey eyes. As her lids batted shut another tear fell and inside her a war waged on; a fight between her two selves. One that craved the approval of her family members and one that longed for freedom. 'I need to do this,' she told herself, 'I need to do whatever I can to make sure that Fred is safe.'

He let go of his niece's face, "You know I am not all that cruel, Lyra." A smirk grew on his face, "I tell you what, Lyra, I will come with you to Hogwarts and help you reverse the curse but I have a few conditions."

Lyra's jaw tensed and she swallowed once more.

"You can remain at Hogwarts until the end of the school year but at its conclusion you will quit and continue your career as a Healer," he said. That was easy enough, she rationalised, it was something she had already been contemplating doing anyway. No one had expected her to last more than a year anyway so it was perfectly acceptable.

"You will also stop seeing Severus," he continued, those words cutting her heart like a knife. She gritted her teeth and listened but she couldn't help the fact that more tears were beginning to form. "Now, I'm not asking you to stop immediately, that would be mean and I know you love him Lyra, but you know you cannot be with him. You can indulge in it for the time being but I expect you to marry a pureblood and I want you to find someone suitable within the year otherwise you will marry someone of Narcissa's choosing. Do we have a deal?"

She closed her eyes and felt the tears that had formed leak out and wet her cheeks. She could see the truth in her uncle's words, that she had in fact been indulging herself and whittling away her talent, wasting it on a year of teaching and sleeping around with someone less than pure.

But it wasn't just sleeping around. Lyra loved him. She could feel it in her heart. The prospect of losing him scared her but she knew it was inevitable.

'You have a duty.'

'We've all had to make sacrifices, my dear.'

Her aunt's words rung true in her mind in that fleeting moment that passed and she knew what she had to do. With a staggered breath she nodded, accepting her fate. "Deal," she said.

Lucius stood and offered a hand to Lyra. She took it and as she stood up she could feel the magic binding her to the verbal contract. Lucius smiled slyly, "Let's go."

The Weasley lay unconscious on a bed in the hospital wing with privacy shades staggered around the bed to hide the fact that he was completely unrecognisable. Blue feathers covered the length of his body, replacing even his iconic red hair. Where his nose once was, instead a hardened beak. He looked like an odd cross between a human and a bird.

Standing around him were Professors McGonagall and Snape, accompanied by his family members. His brothers had been pulled out of class for the day and Mrs. Weasley had rushed to Hogwarts as soon as she had heard with her two youngest children in tow. She was absolutely hysterical, the eldest child there was Charlie and he attempted to comfort her as they stood nearby waiting for something to happen.

Lyra burst through the doors of the Hospital Wing with Lucius following right behind her.

"You didn't tell me it was a Weasley," he hissed.

"Would you have come if I did?" she asked.

He gritted his teeth, "No."

"This is who you brought to fix this?!" Molly Weasley shouted as she saw the two approach, "I refuse to have my son be touched by a Dark Wizard. If Arthur was here he would have a fit."

"Good thing he isn't," Lucius retorted, "You seem to have bought the rest of your misfit family."

"Lucius," Lyra said in a warning tone.

"Where is Albus?" she asked, directing her question to Minerva, "Surely, he can't allow this to happen."

"Albus is out," Minerva replied, "As acting headmistress I give Lyra permission to do what she sees fit to help aid your son as she was the one that got him into this mess."

Molly looked over to Lyra who gave her an apprehensive smile. "She's the teacher?!" Molly said, "Good heavens, she looks way too young to be teaching, did she only graduate last year? This is gross negligence."

"Lyra was two years above Bill," Charlie said, "In fact, I believe that they dated."

"You dated Bill?" Molly asked.

Lyra cringed at the revelation, she could feel the heat of Lucius' stare boring into her. "When we were like 15 for a month or two," Lyra answered, "It was nothing."

"Merlin's beard," the red headed witch exclaimed, "I cannot believe this."

"Look," Lyra said, "History aside, I assure you that we will get Fred back to normal."

"So why is he here?" she asked with venom, pointing at Lucius.

"Because I know how to reverse the curse," he replied.

"Of course, they were probably your artefacts to begin with," Molly said.

"I borrowed them off of Borgin and Burkes," Lyra interjected, "I had a lesson on curse breaking for our seventh years. I wanted it to be an immersive experience and I had an old friend come to teach them. Carelessly, we failed to pack them away when the lesson came to its conclusion. It was my responsibility and I admit fault but I have brought Lucius here to remedy the situation."

"Then why are you just standing there?" she asked, "Do something."

"It takes time," Lucius responded, "We need to wait until he has fully transformed before attempting the spell otherwise he may permanently remain in this state and we don't want that, do we now?" He gave a charming smile to Mrs. Weasley who merely scoffed.

"Just leave it to us," Lyra told Molly, "We'll have Fred back up to pranking in no time."

"Come Molly," Minerva said, "We can have some tea in my office."

Lyra saw Molly begin to protest and spoke, "I promise we won't harm him. You can trust me."

The witch looked worriedly at the eldest boy and he nodded at his mum, wrapping an arm around her. As they began to move off towards the exit they were stopped in their tracks as they heard a rustle of sheets and long groan coming from the bed.

"Mum?" the feathered boy called out.

She spun on the spot, "Fred?" He smiled and sat up in bed. "Oh, Fred," she said as she rushed to his side, "What the hell have you done to yourself?"

He held out his arms and observed the feathers that were covering his body. "Wicked," he grinned.

"I see my help is no longer needed," Lucius said, "I best be off."

"No," Lyra said pulling Lucius back, "You are holding up your end of the deal."

He rolled his eyes, "He seems to want to stay that way."

"You will fix him right this instant," Molly demanded.

"I don't take well to being ordered around by filth," he sneered.

"Lucius, be civil," Severus ordered, earning a glare from the wizard.

Lyra turned to Fred, "Do you really want to be an overgrown chicken for the rest of your life?"

"I mean, is it really that bad of a look?" he asked with a grin.

"At least we can tell the difference between you and George now," Lyra joked earning a laugh from most of the Weasley boys.

"You are not staying this way," Molly said, "Turn him back now. Please."

Lyra looked to Lucius and he looked back with a bored expression. He tensed for a moment and sighed, "Fine. Lyra and Severus I need you to cast a spell of greater restoration with me." The two nodded and drew their wands. "1, 2, 3," he counted and on the third count the three of them all cast the spell.

Fred's beak began to soften, receding back until it was a soft and pliable nose and mouth once more. The feathers shrunk and retreated back into his skin and as it did so the texture of his skin returned to normal, now flesh and pink. The mask that sat on his face lost all of its colour, the brilliant blue had vanished and it turned into a stone grey before falling into his lap.

Lucius summoned it towards him, plucking it easily out of the air. "I believe my job is complete," he said, "I will be taking the rest of your artefacts back to Borgin and Burke's."

Lyra nodded and followed him out the door whilst the Weasley family crowded the bed.

"You failed to mention that you dated a Weasley," he sneered.

"I failed to mention a lot of people I casually fucked in high school," she retorted, "At least he was pure, to a degree."

"Don't you dare think that counts, Lyra," he said as he glared at her, "I can't believe you tricked me into coming here to help a Weasley. Be glad his father wasn't here otherwise that boy would still be clucking around."

Lyra laughed, "I'm thankful you came and helped me."

"Lyra," he said in a softer tone, "I would do anything for you as long as you don't disappoint me. You shouldn't have taken my things."

"I apologise," she said.

"Don't think that lets you off the hook," he replied, "I am holding you to your end of the deal too."

She sighed and nodded, "I understand."

The day came to its end, classes had finished and Lyra had found her way back to Severus' quarters after Lucius had stripped her of his possessions.

"What a day," she sighed as she slumped into the armchair that sat across from the fireplace.

"Indeed," he replied, "Your life is always full of excitement."

Lyra laughed, "What I would give for it to be calm and quiet for a while."

"We can always head to bed early," he suggested, "Unwind in a bath."

She smirked, "I'd like that."

Severus got up and headed to the bathroom first, Lyra following shortly behind him. He had already disrobed and the bath was switched on. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and laid sweet kisses on his back before she too removed her clothes. Severus slipped in first and Lyra took her position between his legs with his arms wrapped around her.

"So, what deal did you make with Lucius?" he asked as he pressed his lips on her head.

She bit her lip and thought for a second before answering, "I said I'd quit at the end of the school year." It was a partial truth, she didn't think it was necessary for Severus to know the whole truth. She was just thankful that he couldn't look directly into her eyes at that moment as she was sure her occlumency shields would be vulnerable.

"And that was enough?"

"To convince him to come?" she asked, "Yeah, if he knew it was Fred Weasley I'm sure he would've pushed for more."

"So you're quitting?"

Lyra tilted her head, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "I don't know if I could stay," she replied, "It's been a crazy year and I'm ready to go back to healing."

"What about us?"

"What about us?" she asked, turning her head and giving him a concerned look. She shuffled around and caressed his cheek, "Sev, I love you. I want to be with you and I won't let anything stand in the way of that."

She believed those words with every ounce of her being. She would find a way around the deal she had made. She needed to be with him.

Severus wanted to believe her, he allowed himself to but there was this little voice in his head that told him that she couldn't be trusted. Perhaps Lucius' presence had cast some doubt in his mind. He tried to shake it off, leaning in and kissing her.

He allowed himself to melt into her touch and the water to wash away his doubt. They remained in the bath and talked, Lyra diffusing about her day and Severus too sharing his thoughts. It took about twenty minutes until they were ready for bed, curling up to one another in between the soft satin sheets.

Severus held her close, spooning her from behind. Absentmindedly, his hands began to wander; a slight brush against her breast, a fluid caress of the curves of her body, an appreciative grope of her tight ass. He let out a deep groan as pushed back against his crotch, her bottom grinding gently against his member that was slowly coming to attention. He kissed her cheek, and then her neck before nipping at her shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and began to tease her nipple, rubbing it between his fingers and earning a moan of approval.

"Sev," she whispered, her hips moving back and stimulating his cock further.

"Yes, my love," he drawled between fevered kisses against her back.

"I want you," she said.

"You want me?" he repeated in a teasing tone.

"Yes," she hissed, "I want you."

"Tell me how much you want me," he demanded as he continued his assault on her breasts.

She could feel the arousal begin to pool between her legs as each tug and roll of her nipple flooded her body with heat, her hips continuing to grind back into him. "Sev, I need you," she panted, "I want your cock in me. I want you to fuck me. I want you to fuck me. I need you to fill me."

"You only need to ask, my love," he teased, his hand wrapped around his erection and guided it towards Lyra's heat. She held her cheeks open, allowing him to slide in slowly.

Once his cock was fully enveloped he held her close to him once more, his hands groped her breasts instead as he made small movements inside her, giving them both enough friction to satiate their need to be close but not enough to drive them to orgasm but in that moment it didn't matter.

All he wanted was to be inside her, to be as close as he could physically be to her and she accepted that. She enjoyed the intimacy and laziness of their spoon-like fucking. He was close to her, he was around her and she was safe in his arms. He made her feel so small but so full, both of his cock and of his love.

He peppered kisses on every bit of exposed flesh that was near his head and she wrapped arm tighter around her body, interlocking their fingers. She attempted to thrust back into him and grind on his cock, allowing him deeper if possible.

They continued this for several minutes, focusing on the feeling of just being together and owning one another in that moment, each other's bodies and hearts belonging to the other.

He felt Lyra's pussy tighten around him and tease him, wanting to squeeze every drop of come out of him. He grew tired of the lack of friction eventually, tapping on the side of Lyra's bottom and commanding, "Up. All fours."

He slid out and watched Lyra move, her ass in the air begging for him to take her. He licked his lips in delight before positioning himself behind her. One quick thrust and he was deep inside her once more and he thrusted in and out of her with purpose.

Lyra collapsed into the bed a little, resting her head on the bed as she reached down between her legs to give her that extra bit of friction to get herself off. Her other hand gripped tightly onto the bed sheets as he pounded her in an attempt to keep herself up right.

Severus' hands appreciated the suppleness of her ass, squeezing it and spreading it as he moved in and out of her pussy. As he did so he let go or her bottom and let a hand come down, slapping her hard. A shriek of surprise came from her and he trialed it again, this time earning a moan.

He smirked and continued to spank her as he fucked her from behind. He felt her pussy tightening, gripping hard as she neared her orgasm. One more slap was enough to make her fall off the edge and into the pool of bliss. She moaned as her pussy pulsed around him, she stopped stimulating her clit but he was relentless, continuing to thrust into her.

He was determined to make her come once more before he came. He caressed her now reddened cheeks and his hand found its way to her crack. A teasing thumb pressed on the puckered star that was her asshole and slowly he made his way in.

The pressure and stimulation was overwhelming for Lyra. To feel both of her holes filled was so satisfying yet maddening. She reached for her clit once more and quickly found herself coming around him once more.

His pace quickened at the feel of her quaking cunt and he reached a steady rhythm before he too came, deep inside her pussy. His thrusts slowed before he pulled out and Lyra collapsed onto the bed. Lazily, the two crawled back into bed and they fell asleep holding hands, both too sweaty to cuddle.

 **Author's Note:** Ahhhhhh, so much drama. I love it. I hope you love it too.

I've reviewed my outline and I've discovered that I can finish this part of Lyra's story in much shorter time than I expected which is crazy ahhhh. So yeah, after this four more chapters but not to worry, there is a sequel and I already have most of it planned with the first two chapters written!  
Hope you enjoyed it :)


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty Seven - The Wedding**

The Easter Holidays were at full swing at Hogwarts with many of its students remaining over the week long break to finish up assignments along with some students who had the foresight to study before the exam period hit hard in the first week of June.

Lyra found herself in her office most days with the door to her classroom open, welcoming students that felt the need for extra tutoring. Otherwise, her time was spent planning the remainder of the school lessons and maintaining her records for all of her students. When it would hit 8pm, Lyra found herself flooing down to Severus' where the two would read books and discuss the latest magical discoveries. Then the two would have a quick romp, bathe and crash into bed with one another.

Lyra still hadn't told Severus about the last part of her deal with Lucius. She had been holding it close to her chest, her mind spending every spare moment trying to figure out a loophole.

The thing is, there wasn't. Lucius had made a rather airtight deal and she had the naivete to take it. To be fair, in that moment, she felt as though there was no other choice. She couldn't afford to waste days trying to find the solution so she took it. It was a decision made in haste and could have been totally avoidable, in fact Anneli owled her the next day giving her the solution.

Now she had a year to find a husband, someone she could tolerate for the rest of her life. It was either that or take whichever suitor Narcissa picked for her. She knew it would have to be Amycus Carrow seeing as he came from one of the Sacred 28 lines. She would've much rathered Barty Crouch Junior as he was much easier on the eyes but there was no hope for that if he was in Azkaban.

Perhaps she could get engaged to him, possibly even marry him whilst he was in prison. That way her family couldn't complain and in fact her mother would love to see her married to the Crouch boy. Honestly, it was a much more preferable option to marrying Carrow.

It was possible she could even keep Severus around as a male mistress, it wasn't an uncommon practice for pureblood marriages to have hidden affairs on the side. She saw it regularly in her aunt and uncle's marriage and believed it was why they had tolerated one another for so long. She wondered if Severus would accept the idea.

No.

That was cruel. It wasn't that he wouldn't accept it but the fact that she loved and valued him more than that. She couldn't just allow him to be strung along like a side toy.

Perhaps she would just have to resign herself to her fate. Her aunt was probably right, one day she would learn to love whoever she married, whether she chose him or not. Maybe Severus was just a quick love affair that people her age would frequently have. A fleeting moment. A memory to look fondly upon when she was married to some man who couldn't keep it up. A whirlwind romance that was destined to fail.

That was it. That's what this was.

But if it was, how come she fell deeper in love with him every time he looked into her eyes or smiled at her? Why did she not find herself growing sick of his quirks like all her friends swore she would? Why was it that whenever she woke up next to him she felt safe, like everything was right in the world?

Surely it meant more. Surely it was meant to be more than just that.

She clung desperately to that chance and continued to indulge herself. She pushed away all her doubts, preventing herself from being consumed by her thoughts. She couldn't allow them to spiral out of control, Severus was still testing her occlumency skills every now and then. She was surprised she hadn't let it slip yet but she was determined to keep it hidden until she had a proper solution.

The one week break seemed to slip by so quickly for everyone except for Lyra as she waited in anticipation for the weekend. When Saturday finally arrived she was excited to dress up for the event, she had a quick shower that perhaps wasn't as quick as she had hoped as Severus decided to join her. The had a heated exchange in the confines of the glass shower, Severus laying fevered kisses across her shoulder blades whilst he gripped onto her thighs tightly as he fucked her into the wall. She giggled after they had finished, quickly drying herself.

"You're going to make me late," she complained, using her wand to quickly dry herself and sort out the mess that was her hair.

"You're always late," he replied as he toweled himself off and walked back into his quarters.

With quick precision she painted her face and smoothed her hair into luscious curls. She wished her aunt was there to give her a nice updo for the wedding but alas, she had to go without. She slipped into a gorgeous white maxi dress that sat high upon her neck and was decorated with bands of purple flowers and lace panelling.

She stepped out of the bathroom pulled on a pair of white heels, "How do I look?"

Severus glanced over and his eyes were caught on her beauty, "Heavens, you are the most stunning witch I have ever laid eyes upon. Are you sure you won't upstage the bride?" He walked over to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

She let out a girlish giggle, "Syrin is much prettier than me. She'll be fine."

He whispered in her ear, "I have half a mind to keep you here with me and tear that dress off."

She smiled sweetly, biting her lip, "You could always come."

He frowned, "You know I can't." He reached up to her face and gave her an affectionate stroke on the cheek and tucked her hair behind her ear, "Besides, I'm not much of a fan of social gatherings, why do you think you don't see me at Lucius' dinner parties?"

"But you happened to come on Christmas," she smirked.

"That's because I knew you'd be there," he said, "And gods, how I loved getting under your skin and making you blush. The thought of doing that to you again is tempting enough but I'm sure that there will be important people attending and you have a reputation to uphold."

Lyra sighed, "Don't remind me. I wish you could be by my side to make it more bearable."

"I'll be here waiting for you to return," he said, embracing her and giving her a peck on the forehead.

"You better," she replied, her eyes narrowed.

"You need a jacket," he said, "It'll be rather cold."

"I'll grab one on my way out," she replied, holding him close.

"Go," he insisted, "Otherwise you'll be late."

Lyra kisses him once more before they exchanged 'I love you's and she headed out through the fireplace, stopping by her own quarters to grab a black blazer to tie the look together. She looked at the mirror once more before nodding and setting off for Norway.

She landed in amongst a crowd of people who were gathering in front of the stave church. It was a beautiful, grand building with hand carved detailing and medieval features that stood alone in the vast countryside. Lyra looked around to the sea of witches and wizards to see if she could spot anyone she recognised. She was surprised that there were so many familiar faces but they were none that she knew personally. They were illustrious and distinguished purebloods, witches and wizards in several different fields. There were quidditch stars and journalists, writers and researchers though they weren't who she was looking for.

She spotted the top of Ilya's head poking out above the crowd and walked towards him, shuffling in between chatting people. As she neared she recognised her friends that accompanied him, Anneli and Feliks.

"Hey!" she shouted, pulling their attention away from the conversation they were having.

"Lyra!" Anneli said enthusiastically, "How are you?" She pulled her in for a hug. "You look gorgeous."

"So do you," Lyra said to Anneli, "Where's your boyfriend?"

"I thought it'd be awkward to bring him," she replied, "We've only been together for a month."

Lyra nodded, "Fair enough." She turned to address the boys, "Don't you two look dashing."

With a wink and a mischievous grin, Feliks ran his hand through his blonde locks. "Can't help it, can we?" he nudged his partner playfully.

Ilya rolled his eyes at Feliks' response. The four of them caught up briefly before being ushered into the church. Lyra turned to speak to Anneli and didn't notice that there were three additions to the right of her. The man gave her a gentle tap on the shoulder, "Lyra, my dear."

Lyra turned and saw her family sitting next to her. She was surprised and for a moment she was thankful that Severus had refused to join them. "Uncle!" she exclaimed, "Aunty, Draco. What are you doing here?"

"We were invited of course," Lucius said, "Anyone who is anyone is attending."

"It'll be a lovely way for you to meet potential suitors," Narcissa added.

Dread set in, though Lyra didn't make it apparent on her face. She simply smiled, "Oh, how wonderful."

"You must let me do your hair," Narcissa fussed, "What you've done is much too plain. The dress is a nice choice but that jacket is too bold, you should take it off. Just cast a warming charm if you're cold."

"Where am I supposed to put my wand?" Lyra asked.

Narcissa's face turned sour, her lips pursed. "Now, now, ladies," Lucius said before Narcissa could get another word in, "I don't want you two bickering."

"Of course not, Uncle," she replied with a fake smile.

The conversation was cut short as instrumental music began to play. The congregation stood as the groom and his men filled in from the side and the rest of the bridal party began to make their way down the aisle. Their family members walked down followed by the bridesmaids who were all stunning women from the Karsajok Kites. Then two tiny children stumbled down the aisle, tossing flower petals that danced gracefully in the sky with a bit of magical assistance.

Then emerged Syrin, the beautiful blonde had her hair in a graceful updo with her veil tucked into the back of it by an elaborate diamond pin. The diamonds matched those that covered her dress, every single gem sparkling brilliantly over the illusion neckline and the bodice that had small flowers decorating it. Her waist was cinched in with a belt of diamonds that held up a chiffon skirt that was also covered in the gems and flowers, slowly fading as the material of the skirt extended behind her on her cathedral length train. Her dress hovered a few inches off the ground and she moved flawlessly down the aisle in it, towards her love.

Lyra looked back at the altar where Gustav was standing. He restrained a grin, but she could tell that he loved her and the two of them belonged. For a moment she imagined it was Severus and her wedding, how he would look at her, how his face would lit up at the sight of her. It wasn't a fantasy she could indulge in for long as Syrin reached the end of her walk, joining Gustav in front of the celebrant.

The music died down as they took one another's hands, the celebrant began to address the crowd. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of family and friends to celebrate the joining of these two in the unity of marriage." He went on, addressing the couple before they exchanged their vows. They shared beautiful words and stories from their past, Lyra finding herself giggling and looking over to her friends as they recounted their meeting at Durmstrang. Anneli cried and held Lyra's hand tightly as they exchanged rings.

"It's so beautiful," Anneli sobbed.

Lyra smiled sympathetically, still looking on her two friends who looked completely enamoured. "Yeah, it is," she said.

"I declare you bonded for life, you may now kiss!" the celebrant announced.

Everyone cheered as the two exchanged a chaste kiss. Sparks flew and fireworks went off and Gustav daringly took Syrin into his arms and dipped her down for a more passionate kiss. Syrin laughed and the congregation boomed louder. The two walked hand in hand down the aisle with enormous grins on their face. The wedding party filed out after them before the crowd spilled out of the church as well.

As everyone stepped out they faced a large open tent with silk hangings and pillars extending out into the nearby field. Underneath the tent were several small tables, circles around the dancefloor with the bridal table facing it. Everyone found their assigned spots with the assistance of a fairy who held a list and guided each one of them away. Lyra was thankful that her family were seated away from her, at a table of other influential purebloods. She was seated with her friends, along with other people from Durmstrang who she could barely remember.

The reception began, everyone settling in for a three course meal before the bride and groom hit the dancefloor. Once their first dance was finished and people began to flood the dancefloor, Lyra found an incessant tap on her shoulder.

"Lyra, my dear," Lucius said, "Come, there are some people I'd like you to met."

Lyra restrained herself from rolling her eyes and instead followed her uncle around the tent. He showed her off to many men from varying backgrounds but wealthy businessmen and accomplished healers seemed to be his favourite. Lyra played the part and entertained them for a few minutes but quickly found their conversations tedious. There was just no one who tickled her fancy, the only man who did was sitting at Hogwarts in the dungeons, no doubt simmering some sort of draught.

She didn't outright refuse the offer as she did believe her uncle's idea did have some merit. It was the perfect spot for her to find a suitor, it was just a shame she felt nothing whatsoever to any of them and they were dull. She was thankful when Narcissa finally called him over, insisting that they return home as it was getting late and Draco needed to retire. She gave them all a hug and kiss goodbye, promising to see them soon.

With her family gone, Lyra headed to the dancefloor and joined her friends who were already at least half tipsy. Lyra too indulged herself with some wine and felt her inhibitions loosen on the dancefloor but the wine also went straight through her and to her bladder.

"Excuse me," she said to her friends, "I just need to go to the loo."

"I'll come with you," Ilya offered.

She looked curiously at the man but she relented, following Ilya to the bathrooms. She ducked in quickly and relieved herself before meeting up with her male friend once more. She noticed him looking longingly at their friends and she asked, "Everything alright?"

His jaw tensed for a moment and she saw a flicker of pain in his eyes. He sighed, "No."

"Do you want to talk?" she asked.

"It's nothing," he dismissed, "Forget I mentioned it."

"How about we go for a little walk and a smoke?" she asked with a smirk.

"Lyra Lestrange, I haven't smoked since I was in high school," he said.

She laughed, "Gods, I haven't since Durmstrang either but drinking makes me crave it sometimes."

"Let us go for a walk," he said with a smirk.

The two of them walked a distance away from the party but could still see the light coming from it. Lyra took a seat and summoned a pack of cigarettes and took one, lighting it up with the tip of her wand before offering it to her friend. She took a deep drag before lying back and relaxing against the tree.

"What took you so long to join us on the dancefloor?" he asked.

She groaned, "My aunt and uncle want me to marry, they were introducing me to potential suitors." She laughed before pressing the cigarette to her lips once more.

"I see," Ilya replied, "You're not interested?"

"Not particularly," she said, "I mean, do you see me marrying someone and being a subservient wife?"

He chuckled, "No, you've always been too wild."

"I'm not saying I don't want to settle down and have kids eventually but there's just still so much more to life that I want to do, you know?"

He nodded and gave a smile.

"How about you?" she asked, "How are things with you and Feliks?"

His smile slowly faded and silence hung between the two for a moment before he found the confidence to speak. "Things are not so good at the Ministry," he replied, "It's been a bit tense for me and Feliks."

"Why?"

"The Ministry are toughening their stance against homosexuals," he said, his jaw tensed, "They are beginning to investigate individuals. Those who are caught have been killed."

"What?"

"It's a scary time, Lyra," he said as he took another drag of his cigarette. He put it out and tossed to the ground. Lyra cleaned it up with her wand, finishing her own and vanishing it. He reached out, "Come, we should get back to the festivities."

Lyra didn't know what to say to bring him comfort. She reached out and allowed him to pull her up. She wrapped an arm around him and leaned into his chest as they walked together, "I'm sorry."

"Nothing you can do," he said, "It is what it is. We just need to be careful."

"I know all about sneaking around."

"So you're still seeing that half blood?" he asked, "That's why your aunt and uncle are so insistent on you marrying."

She laughed, "Ah, but Ilya, I love him. I'm sure you love Feliks. You know it's wrong, that people won't accept it but you can't help it, can you?"

He paused for a moment before replying, "No, I suppose we can't."

"We'll work it out, Ilya," she said, "We'll work it out."

 **Author's Note:** OMG WE'RE ALMOST AT THE END I CANNOT BELIEVE I've never finished anything before so this is pretty crazy for me! I'm also on a roll because we're understaffed at the moment and so I'm working a lot and there's a lot of downtime which is when I write my fic so here we are! Hopefully i can smash out these last few chapters and then I'm going to go back and edit them all before I start posting the sequel where I've already written the first two chapters!


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty Eight - Fatigue**

The wedding celebrations continued well into the night, Ilya and Lyra rejoining Feliks and Anneli back on the dancefloor with a few more drinks to keep them going. Syrin and Gustav were busy making their rounds to thank guests for coming but they did end up joining the old Durmstrang gang for one song. Anneli had way too much to drink once more and began to ramble about apparating to see her boyfriend. She was stripped of her wand, which Lyra took for safekeeping, and the boys helped apparate her back to the hotel that had been booked for them.

Lyra volunteered to crash with Anneli so the boys could have some privacy but it wasn't a flattering job, holding Anneli's hair back as she threw up into the toilet. Lyra cursed herself for not bringing some Sober Up potion with her but with her Healer knowledge she knew how to keep her hydrated so the hangover wouldn't hit as hard the next day.

"So is that what real 20 year olds do?" Lyra asked as she rubbed her friend's back.

"Yep," Anneli replied in between vomiting, "They don't go finding cures for diseases or teaching children. They party and drink."

Lyra simply laughed and continued to give her friend comfort. Once the vomiting stopped she coaxed her friend into bed and the two of them crashed.

Anneli was surprised that when the morning came she didn't have a head-splitting headache. She rolled over in bed and Lyra was already dressed in a short black dress with lace sleeves and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

"Good morning," Lyra said brightly.

"Morning," Anneli replied as she sat up in bed, "Are you heading home already?"

"No, the boys want to have breakfast together and then I'll return to Hogwarts," she said, "You should get up."

Anneli didn't protest, instead she too got up and got dressed. "You really should join us when we go out," she said, "You're a life saver."

Lyra laughed, "You just need to learn to hold your liquor better."

"Possibly," Anneli replied.

The two headed down to the hotel lobby and met up with Ilya and Feliks. Breakfast had been booked and they filtered into a large restaurant that had the most amazing view of the ocean and surrounding hills. They were joined by Syrin and Gustav who were then teased about their wedding night. They laughed and talked for hours as they ate breakfast but once again, the time came for them to say goodbye and head their separate ways.

Lyra had enjoyed the brief break from reality and for a moment indulged in the idea of having a life outside of Hogwarts where she could remain in closer contact with her friends. It was a shame they were all so spread out with Syrin and Gustav taking up residence in Norway, Anneli still at her family home in Switzerland and the two boys living in Russia, it would be hard for them all to see one another on a regular basis. They would just have to make time to see one another outside of large social events such as the Novak wedding.

Perhaps Lyra's wedding would be the next one where they would all gather. She hoped her aunt and uncle didn't want to make a spectacle of it like the Novak's. Lyra was significantly more low maintenance and although she enjoyed beautiful things, she preferred simplicity. She wondered for a moment who she was going to marry, whether it would be someone of her choosing or one that her family would choose. If she could have her way it would be Severus waiting for her down the other end of that aisle.

She didn't allow herself to dwell on the thought for too long as she knew it wasn't possible and it pained her. Instead, her mind drifted onto other things as she walked through the halls of Hogwarts and saw students trying to make the most of their final hours of the break whether it be burying oneself in a book or chasing friends around the courtyard. She couldn't help but smile at their innocence as she longed to be back in their shoes, not that it was much easier than now.

Lyra returned to her office, her classroom door open once more as an invitation for students to stop by and ask her questions. No one took her up on her offer that day but she didn't mind, her day was spent rearranging her classroom once more and planning lessons. She joined her colleagues in the staff room for dinner before she headed off to spend the night in Severus' quarters.

"How was the wedding?" he asked as the two of them unwound over a bottle of wine, sitting on the couch he had transfigured from the two armchairs.

"Good," she replied, "It was very lavish but I expect nothing less of Syrin and Gus."

"Anyone interesting attend?"

She laughed, "Oh god, Lucius and Cissy were there with Draco. It's a good thing you didn't come. They spent the night showing me off to potential suitors."

"Anyone tickle your fancy?" he asked.

"Not with you on my mind," she said.

"Well you know I'd marry you in a heartbeat."

Lyra smiled sadly as she knew what the reality was. She wanted to tell him about the deal she had made with Lucius but it the thought made her sad and she just didn't have the heart to confront it right there and then. They still had several months of the school term left so she still had time to figure things out. She took a sip of her wine to calm herself but the silence had lasted too long between them as the impending fall of their relationship stared them both in the face.

Severus found himself daring to address it, his stomach twisting from Lyra's lack of response. "What will happen when the school year ends?" he asked, "You'll go back to your career in healing and then what about me?"

Lyra frowned as she took another sip of her wine, reluctant to answer his questions. "I don't know, she said with a heavy heart, "I just know I love you and I want this to work out."

Severus closed his eyes for a moment as emotions swirled inside him. Doubt began to taunt him with cruel words. It won't work out. It was never going to work out. She knew it, you knew it. Both of you knew from the start. She's lying to you. It's not like you deserved her anyway. Those words struck fear in his heart as he began to believe them.

Lyra sensed his discomfort and tugged him gently back to reality with a simple squeeze of his hand. He looked over to her and fell into her soft expression again, the warmth of her eyes brought him so much comfort, quietening his doubts.

"I love you," she whispered, her hand reaching up to caress his face. She lingered for a moment before Severus' hand embraced hers and tugged it away from his cheek but still holding it.

Merlin. He loved her too. So, so much. He just couldn't stand the thought of losing her. He would do anything to keep her close. Perhaps it was selfish but a part of him thought that he deserved to be happy and she was his happiness. She was the light at the end of the dark tunnel that had been his life so far.

"We will figure it out," he said firmly, squeezing her hand.

She smiled, once again shining her light on him. Love radiated out of every pore of her and he basked in that warm glow. He just wanted it to last and if he couldn't make it work he wanted to at least savour every moment.

He leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers, his passion overwhelming him as he darted out his tongue to touch her, to taste her. He wanted to remember every single detail about her lips, her face and her body.

Lyra melted into his touch, wrapping her arms around him, pulling his body closer to hers. She leaned back onto the couch and allowed herself to rest laying down with him on top of her. His tongue was darting in and out of her mouth, she reflected the movement, wanting to taste and feel him. It felt like it had been so long since she had tasted him.

Her hands found their way to the front of his clothing, unbuttoning and revealing his chest. She ran her hands down his torso before she rubbed his cock through his pants. Their lips were still pressed against one another as she touched and caressed his body.

His impatience got the best of him, not wanting to shift around as they stripped he reached for his wand and non-verbally vanished their clothes before tossing his wand onto the table.

He parted for a breath but in all honesty it was for his eyes to soak in every inch of her body from her pert breasts to her strong legs. The desire to mark and touch every inch of her overwhelmed him. Possessively his lips found her neck and he began to ravish her with the kisses that extended all over her body. He nipped and sucked, biting and teasing every bit of flesh he could possibly attend to. Lyra giggled as he hit sensitive spots, squirming underneath him but his hands firmly held her down.

He slid off the couch and onto his knees which connected to the thick rug that decorated the floor. He coaxed her to sit and lay back, her legs situated on either side of him before he spread them further and his mouth attacked her nether regions.

She attempted to withhold a small moan but failed, a strangled sound coming out of her parted lips. Her eyes were closed as his tongue darted out, licking and teasing her quim. His tongued dipped in and lapped at the sweet taste of her juices which continuously leaked out of her as his nose gently nudged her clit.

Her eyes would flutter open, heavy-lidded, she would look down at the man who was eagerly looking up at her, wanting to see every single reaction her body would elicit from the smooth movements of his tongue.

Once he had has fill, his tongue trailed back up to her clitoris and he slid two fingers into her with ease. He began to pump in and out as Lyra continued to moan, her eyes struggling to stay open to watch her lover play her like a finely tuned instrument.

He was an expert at making her come and she quickly felt the heat and how it burned so intensely in her stomach and her loins. She would bite her lip as her hips unwillingly edged closer towards his face. She couldn't help the cravings she felt for her man and her orgasm.

With a few quick pumps that hit her g-spot she found her mouth wide open and her voice calling his name, "Sev."

Her body bucked into his face as she rode her orgasm out, her legs twitching and her breathing laboured. He couldn't help but smirk as he separated from her and she looked in his eyes completely dazed.

"Fuck Sev," she panted, "I swear everytime it's just better and better."

"I'm glad," he said as he got up, sitting next to her, pulling her close.

Her head rested on his chest, her eyes closed for a moment but she opened them she saw his stiff member and smiled. Her hand wrapped around the thick shaft and began to slowly rub and tease him.

"You don't have to," he protested.

"I want to," she said with a smile, pecking him on the lips before her head went down towards his lap.

He let out a deep growl as her tongue began to swirl around his staff. "Gods," he whispered as her mouth swallowed the tip of his cock.

He let her suck and play with his member for a few moments before he tired of the attention, wanting to be inside her pussy. He played with her hair and coaxed her off, saying, "I want you on the bed, my love."

She smiled and obliged, getting on all fours. "Flip over," he urged, "I want to see you."

She rolled over and saw him smile in appreciation as his eyes rolled over her body once more. She felt a blush form on her cheeks as he pulled her towards the edge of the bed by her ankles. A hand reached down between them, positioning his cock at her entrance. With one simple movement he was inside her and began to slowly thrust in and out.

He was engraving every sensation and every look into his memory, praying that it would be unnecessary. He'd remember the heat of her cunt, her face twisted in bliss and the gentle movement of her breasts as her body gave in to each thrust.

He leaned down over her until their bodies were flush against one another. Lyra wrapped her arms around him as he gripped tightly onto the bed, holding himself upright. She whispered in his ear over and over again, "I love you, Sev, fuck, I love you."

His pace quickened and he stood upright once more, holding onto Lyra's hands as he felt his orgasm inch closer and closer toward him. His eyes were pressed tightly shut as he focused on it building and how he needed to fall over that edge.

"Come for me, Sev," she begged, a hand touching his chest, "Come for me."

He groaned. His orgasm came crashing down heavily and he spilled inside her before collapsing on top of her. She held him close, arms and legs wrapped around him as her fingers danced lightly on his back. His heart was beating out of his chest and his breathing was heavy. He groaned once more as he pulled away from her, moving up to rest fully on the bed. Lyra followed suit, curling up against the Potions Master and falling asleep on his chest.

Classes were in full swing the next day with Professors beginning to stress the importance of each lesson as it neared the exam period. They had just over a month left before they would be tested and Lyra had decided to leave her office open for extra tutoring and advice during her free periods. She was flat out, answering questions and re-explaining concepts, trying to give special attention to those struggling in her subject.

It took couple of weeks before Lyra was overwhelmed, tiring herself out by working so hard. Despite the fact she refused to work past 6pm most days, she just couldn't help it if some poor student was struggling to understand. Severus admonished her when it hit the third week back into term and she began to appear in the dungeons with bags under her eyes. There were some days were she didn't even turn up. Severus had to floo up to see her a few times and she would always be on her bed snoring or passed out on her desk. He'd tuck her in and give her a kiss, rolling his eyes at the commitment she had towards the students.

He straightened her out by limiting her tutoring times to ensure that she was getting enough sleep but for some reason as the weeks passed she just seemed so tired. She felt as though she had barely enough energy to function. She would fight the need to sleep through her classes but she couldn't help but fall asleep during tedious conversations at the dinner table on the odd occasion.

"Are you ok?" Severus asked as they returned from the Great Hall, his brow furrowed in concern.

"Yeah, yeah," she replied, "I'm fine, just a bit tired."

"You've been tired for weeks now," he said, "You're not still seeing students out of hours, are you?"

"No," she replied, rolling her eyes. "I swear I've stuck to your little schedule."

"Are you stressed about something?" he enquired, determined to get to the bottom of it, "Are you having nightmares again? Perhaps you should start taking the potion again."

"No, I'm not Sev," she insisted, "I'm fine. I haven't been sick in years. My immune system is spell proof."

"Well, you should go to sleep now," he said.

"It's only eight o'clock!" she protested.

"You need the sleep."

"I'll go only if you join me."

"Fine."

"But we're having a bath first," she said with a smirk, sauntering off to the bathroom.

He rolled his eyes yet found himself joining her. He liked it when she sat in between his legs; the feeling of her skin against his, the way her hands would touch him, the ways he could touch her.

"Ouch!" she said, jerking away from his hand as he pinched her nipple.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a worried tone, knowing that he hadn't pinched too hard. It had barely been even a graze. "Ow," she hissed as she rubbed it, "It's just sensitive."

"I'm sorry, my love," he said as he gently caressed her breast.

"It's ok," she said with a small laugh, "I didn't know either."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," she said, with an indifferent shrug. "Probably just my time of the month coming up."

He hummed and pressed his lips on the back of her head, his hand still enjoying the softness of her breasts. "Do you know how beautiful you are?" he asked.

"Of course," she teased.

He sat up and she mirrored the action as he began to lay kisses on her exposed neck. He moved his hands around her breasts, caressing them softly and feeling how her nipples stiffened against his touch. They then moved down to appreciate the curve of her body before daring to rub her thighs and venture inwards towards her sex.

He dipped a finger down between her folds, instantly touching her clit. She spread her legs slightly, welcoming his touch. That finger rubbed her clit briefly before dipping into her heat. She let out a breathy moan as he slid in, filling her and she shifted back, pressing her back against his chest and allowing him better leverage. He slid in and out easily, her pussy wet and losing lubrication as it dissipated into the water.

She rocked against the lone digit, her eyes focused on the way his arm looked wrapped around her body. She turned her head and looked over to his face, his eyes drinking her in and filled with lust. She could feel evidence of his lust as his erection dug into her back.

"I want you," she whispered, grabbing hold of his thigh that was wrapped around her. His movements didn't cease, he was too entranced in the way her body looked soaked in the water of the tub. "Sev," she muttered, kissing his cheek, "I need you."

His tongue darted out between his lips and he nodded, letting go of the woman. She got up and sat on his erection facing him. The two of them began to move, attempting to generate friction between their sexes but failing. Instead all they managed was to make a mess of the water in the tub. Lyra laughed, but enjoyed facing him and kissing him, her hand trailing down his chest.

Severus smiled too, enjoying the intimacy but damning the way the water was getting in the way of their enjoyment. "Up," he insisted and Lyra slid off of him, getting out of the tub. She was standing there in all her brilliant, wet beauty.

He too stood, Lyra's eyes drawn to his erection. She swallowed hard, her pupils blown as he too got up, his frame dripping from the waters of the bathtub. Her eyes raked over him once more before he guided her to the sink countertop. She couldn't help but smile as he helped her up, her ass on the edge and her arms wrapped around his neck for stability.

He positioned himself at her entrance before sinking his cock deep inside her. He shifted his hips back and forth, angling his cock to hit her g-spot on every thrust. Lyra found herself coming quickly from the stimulation, crying out as she came. She clinged onto her lover tightly as he continued to fuck her into the countertop, he too soon faced his climax.

He pulled out, allowing his ejaculate to spill out of her and the two of them headed into the shower to wash off the sweat they had just generated.

Lyra was chastised by Severus once again regarding her schedule as students began flooding her office in the week leading up to exams. She had stuck to his assigned schedule but he suspected differently as he overheard from students that she had fallen asleep in the middle of a class. He didn't confront her about it until later that day as they were discussing a recent research paper she fell asleep once more.

"Lyra, you're stretching yourself too thin," he complained, "Look at you."

"I'm not," she protested, "I'm seeing them like we arranged."

He looked into her eyes and using legilimency tried to tell if she was telling the truth. He felt her occlumency relent and let him in. He gritted his teeth as he flicked through her memories, feeling the tiredness that weighed her down at every moment and a sickening nausea that sat in her stomach. "Perhaps you're coming down with something," he said, "You're definitely working more than usual. Maybe you should take a break."

"I don't need a break, Sev," she said dismissively, "I don't get sick."

"Are you depressed?" he asked, "Anxious? Stressed? Mental fatigue perhaps?"

"No, I'm just really tired," she said, "No matter how much I sleep I feel like I just don't have enough energy."

"Didn't you feel like that when you first started?"

She shrugged, tilting her head slightly. "I guess? Yeah, I was tired a lot of the time but I could get through it. This is different."

"Perhaps see Pomfrey."

"I'm a healer, Sev," she rolled her eyes, "I'd know if something was wrong with me. You know, you're probably right. It's just stress. I'll take better care of myself and I won't see too many more students."

He narrowed his eyes, "If you're not better by the time exams are over you're going to see Poppy."

"Ok, ok," she relented.

Morning came and the pair of lovers followed their regular routine of Lyra returning to her room and running into one another at the Great Hall. Yet, this time it was different.

When Lyra walked into the hall and was ready to take her seat she felt her stomach lurch as nausea overcame her, triggered by the smell of cooked eggs. She ran out of her seat and back out the door, vomiting as soon as she hit the hallway. She used her wand to vanish it away and leaned onto the wall.

"Lyra, are you alright?" Severus asked, having rushed behind her.

"Yeah," she said, "Just sick."

"I told you," he said. She simply rolled her eyes but in her head her mind was ticking over her symptoms.

Exhaustion. Sensitive nipples. Nausea.

Fuck.

She couldn't let Severus know. She needed to get her head on straight and figure this whole thing out.

"Is everything alright?" Minerva asked as she and Poppy both exited the hall, joining the pair.

"She's ill," Severus answered as Lyra dramatically played up her symptoms, leaning into the wall and clutching her stomach.

"You take the day off," Minerva said, "We'll cover your classes."

Lyra gave a weak nod before she was guided away to the Hospital Wing.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty Nine - Conversations**

"I'm pregnant."

Lyra sat on the edge of a bed in the hospital wing, her eyes focused on the ground. She couldn't bare to look at Poppy, knowing her eyes would be full of judgement or pity. She didn't want either. Her head was already swirling with images of her uncle and Severus, their looks of disappointment and disbelief over the situation. She could already imagine what they would say and her head began to spin. Trains of thought would roll by but she couldn't climb onboard, another would pass and she was just standing there, watching them all drive by.

"I'm surprised you didn't pick up on it sooner, being a healer and all," Poppy said, "I had a feeling when you were falling asleep during dinner."

Poppy felt sympathy for the girl. She had seen several students enter the hospital wing in similar situations but this was different. She knew Lyra. She had spent an enormous amount of time with her. She had trained her and seen her grow. She knew all about her family and the pressures she had.

Lyra was a talented witch, there was no doubt about it and in Poppy's mind adding a child to her life would no doubt hinder her potential. There was also the very likely possibility it was Severus'. She wondered how he would feel and whether he would step up to the plate. He didn't seem to be one who wanted a child but Lyra had changed him. She had shone this enormous light on his life and you could just tell that things were better by the way he carried himself day to day.

"What do you want to do?" she asked.

Lyra didn't know how to answer she just sat there blankly, feeling completely detached from everything that was occuring. It was almost as though she had separated from her body and was watching the scene unfold from nearby.

"We can take care of it if you want."

Lyra understood the implication under those words.

God.

She was going to be sick again.

Whether it was stimulated from the pregnancy or her mind's aversion to the prospect of ending her pregnancy, she tilted her head down and threw up. Poppy was already prepared, quickly summoning a bucket and shoving it into her lap.

God.

It felt so disgusting.

"We can talk about it," Poppy offered, "How do you feel?"

Lyra still avoided eye contact. Her shoulders moved up as if to shrug but instead a staggered breath came out of her. She felt as though she needed to cry. She just wanted to lie in bed and cry but she knew she couldn't do that.

"You're overwhelmed," the Matron said, rubbing her back. "It's ok, everything's going to be ok."

But it wasn't.

Lyra knew it wasn't. There were so many variables. So many things to address. So many things that could and would go wrong.

"Is there anyone you could talk to?"

No. She didn't feel as though she could talk to anyone. No one would understand the gravity of her situation.

"Your family?"

Laughable. God, imagine Lucius and Narcissa. Their disappointment. The shame. If they found out. If they knew. She'd have no choice in the matter. The child would be ripped from her womb in a matter of seconds, be it from a potion snuck into a drink or with a knife.

"The father?"

She swallowed hard at that suggestion.

Severus.

Precious Severus.

Her love. Her light.

The man whom she loved with all of her heart.

He wouldn't accept it. If he knew the deal she made with Lucius, gods, this made it even worse. Even more complicated.

Severus didn't want kids anyway, he had made that clear and she wasn't going to try and twist him into fatherhood if he didn't want it. That would be selfish.

It was almost as though the decision had been made for her already. Her family wouldn't want a mudblood tarnishing the line. Her lover didn't want to be a father. Then why should she keep it?

Why did she want to keep it?

"You know there are options," Poppy said in her most detached and professional voice.

"I want it," Lyra said, "I want to keep it."

She looked up at the matron who gave her a sympathetic smile and nod. Lyra swallowed before speaking once more, "I just don't know logistics."

Poppy exhaled a laugh, "Look, if you're worried about your career perhaps speak to Albus. He'd be able to give you some wisdom regarding it. I'm sure we can find a place for you, even if you worked here in the hospital wing. We'll support you, ok?" She placed a hand on Lyra's shoulder and gave her a reaffirming squeeze, "You don't have to decide today. In fact, I encourage you not to but know that there are options."

Lyra nodded, "Thank you."

Poppy insisted that Lyra stay for a while to rest and process things instead of sneaking off back to her room. She knew if she did so she would've run into Severus and it just wasn't a conversation she was ready to have yet. There were still so many things that Lyra needed to figure out.

The deal. Severus. A baby.

How were they all going to fit together smoothly?

No matter how she looked at it, it just wouldn't work. She spent hours staring at the ceiling trying to just figure it out. She was obligated to fulfil her deal with Lucius through magic. Her options were to find someone she could put up with to marry, marry someone of Lucius and Narcissa's choosing or die. The only loophole she could think of was marrying Ilya, then she would have no obligation to love or have sex with him, she could potentially still be with Severus on the side and that baby would just be further proof to the Russian Ministry that they were a legitimate couple. Then again, Severus didn't want a kid. Perhaps she could convince him… If not then, that was a loss she just had to take.

She feigned sleep when Severus came by to check on her during the day's lunch break. Poppy had insisted it was just a stomach bug that would pass and she just needed to rest. He did take a peak to ensure she was ok but Poppy shooed him away.

Severus cared. Severus loved her. Perhaps he would be willing to compromise. She knew it would be forcing his hand but she just wanted it to work.

When classes resumed Lyra decided to take a stroll around Hogwarts to get her blood circulating, hoping it would give her a new perspective. It didn't but her feet carried her to the Headmaster's Tower. She stood, staring at the gargoyle for a few moments, trying to gather her nerve. It reminded her of when she was younger, when Severus had revealed her name, when she stood outside with tears spilling down her cheeks and her fists clenched in anger.

She had matured from that time, being six years older but her family's opinion as well as the whole world's still weighed heavy on her mind. She just needed someone to talk to. Someone to rationalise what she was thinking and she hoped that somehow Albus would guide her in the right direction.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in and slow breath out before she said, "Jelly slugs."

The gargoyle sprang to life and began to spin, making its ascent up the Headmaster's tower. Lyra quickly stepped onto the staircase, joining it on its journey up to the office.

The Headmaster of Hogwarts sat hunched over his desk. He looked up through his half moon spectacles and smiled at the sight of the young witch. "Lyra," he said, addressing the girl. "I heard you had taken ill. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, as she approached the desk. "I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

He nodded, gesturing towards the seat in front of his desk. "Firstly," he said, "Would you like anything to drink? Coffee? Tea? Pumpkin Juice?"

"Tea is good," she replied as she sat in the armchair.

"Herbal? Black? Green?"

"Black with a splash of milk."

He nodded and flicked his wand at the china cabinet that stood against the wall. The kettle and tea began to make itself, quickly coming to boil and brewing before floating over to Lyra and Albus.

"Thanks," she said as she plucked it from the air. She took a seat before placing it down on the desk.

"Now, how can I help you?"

She paused and for a moment contemplated in the best way to address the situation. She wanted to be delicate but she decided to just outright say it. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh," he said, slightly startled. He placed his tea down and his lips thinned for a brief moment, "I'm unsure as to what to say as it seems as this may not be a welcome surprise. It is Severus' no doubt?"

She nodded.

"Have you told him?"

"No."

"Do you have a plan?" he sensed the discomfort of Lyra as her eyes avoided his, "Or is that why you've come here?"

"It's a complicated situation," she frowned but looked at him.

"No doubt about that," he replied, "I'm afraid you would not like my opinion on the matter."

"Why not?" Her head tilted slightly and her eyes narrowed.

"Lyra, it's no secret that I believe that Voldemort will return again."

Lyra winced at the use of the name, fear growing in her heart.

"Tell me, if he did, where would you stand?"

Lyra's eyes looked to the table once more.

"What would happen if you had a child?"

"Sir, it's been ten years and there has been no sign," she argued.

"There have been," he insisted, "You have just been blind. You do not wish to believe it therefore you will not see it. I know when the time comes you will have no choice but to join them or face a tortuous death. I cannot imagine what it would be like if you had a child, particularly if the father is a traitor of the Death Eaters. Therefore I implore you not to carry out this pregnancy."

Lyra's heart broke. She could see the truth in his words and she couldn't deny it. She didn't know what to say.

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to keep it," she said in a soft voice.

"Lyra, it is dangerous-"

"I know!" she said, her voice desperate. Emotion overtook her as she began to ramble, "Don't you think I know? Do you think my family would accept this child if they knew it was Severus'? They have been wanting our relationship to end since the start. You know in order to reverse the curse on Fred I had to make a deal with Lucius to quit Hogwarts and marry a pureblood. I don't want to have to sacrifice my child as well."

Albus closed his eyes and sighed. "I understand where you're coming from, Lyra, but I have my reservations. You care for Severus, don't you?"

"Albus, I love him," she insisted, "If I had my way I would be with him but I know that it's not possible."

"Lyra, there is a reason why I don't want you to have this child. You know it will be a weakness for not only you but Severus as well. Don't you think that Voldemort would prey upon your son or daughter and torture them in order to keep you doing his bidding? You know what it was like growing up in the presence of the Dark Lord with his most loyal followers. Your child would be twisted in the ways of the Dark Arts, if not they would lead a life of suffering. Don't you wish for them to have a better life than you did?"

Lyra's jaw tensed and she looked away, swallowing hard. "So you're saying I should terminate my pregnancy on the slim chance that the Dark Lord will return?"

"I guarantee he will return and when that time comes I require Severus to return to his service so he can spy on him and the Death Eaters for the Order."

"That's a death sentence," she said, tears threatening to form in her eyes, "If he got caught-"

"It is a sacrifice he is willing to make for the greater good," he said.

Her eyes narrowed, "But it's not a sacrifice you're sure he'll make if he has a child."

"I am only telling you this because I know you care for him, he has been training you in occlumency for a reason and I can see how good you are. Even now the only thing I can read off you are your emotions, you thoughts and memories are still heavily guarded."

A twisted smile appeared on Lyra's face as she realised Albus' plan. "You want me to protect him when he comes back. It wasn't just to hide our relationship but to get me on board too."

"I know you don't believe in what Voldemort wishes to achieve, I know you would only join out of loyalty to your family. I know your values align with the Order's and I wish for you to join."

"I don't take kindly to manipulation, Albus."

"Forgive me," he said, bowing his head slightly, "I had to ensure that you were trustworthy."

"Was Severus privy to this plan or did you manipulate him as well?"

"He knew pieces."

"And what are his views on the matter?"

"He loves you, Lyra," he said with a frown, his eyes downcast for a moment. "He wanted you on our side, he always did but he had his doubts. He knows that you value the opinions of your family too much, he was afraid that when it came down to it that you would choose them over him."

"I don't have a choice," she said.

"Did he know of the deal you made with Lucius?"

She shook her head, "I thought I'd try to figure out a way out of it before telling him. I have a friend who could benefit from a marriage to me and I'm sure I could convince him but I haven't spoken to Severus about anything."

"Perhaps it's for the best," he said, "He doesn't need to know any of this."

"You want me to lie to him?"

"For his protection, Lyra. For your child."

 **Author's Note:** More drama! Ahhhh. One more chapter to go guys :) hope you enjoy.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty - Heartbreak**

Both Minerva and Severus had a full day with back-to-back classes, having split Lyra's classes between them. It was easy to take over from her as she had each day planned and most of it was revision for the students anyway as their final exams were scheduled for the following week.

Severus found himself in a constant state of anxiety through the day, his stomach churning and his patience short for any student who would toe his boundaries.

He suspected that Lyra was pregnant. It made sense. It explained her fatigue over the past few weeks as well as her overly sensitive nipples although when he had dropped by the Hospital Wing, Poppy had insisted that Lyra merely had a stomach bug. He attempted to see her but she was asleep. He had hoped it was just a stomach bug but his gut told him otherwise.

Lyra was pregnant. She was expecting a child. His child.

He had never desired children, he had already discussed that with her. Yet, he found himself toying with the idea in his head. Him, Lyra and a child. A small baby. Their baby. He could see so perfectly its smiling face and Lyra's adoration for both it and him. The way her eyes would light up and sparkle, the warmth that light would bring.

Perhaps he could be a father. He felt as though if he were with Lyra he could do anything. But for now he was worried; anxious to know the truth, anxious to see whether she was alright.

The day seemed to last forever. Every minute dragged on.

He had his own class to finish the day and once that had concluded and the room was tidied he found his way up to Classroom 3C to see whether Lyra was back from the Hospital Wing.

When he entered the classroom he realised all her things were gone. Those glass cabinets with projections of creatures were gone and her table was bare. The museum like atmosphere she had created was gone and instead the classroom was empty, except for the furniture that was already there. His stomach twisted, a chill ran down his spine and his nerves felt alight, his hands were shaking as his head began to spin slightly. He feared the worst, that she had left without a trace. Before he allowed himself to lose his nerve entirely he strode up the staircase that led to her office and pressed the door open.

Lyra didn't even acknowledge him as he entered the room, still flicking her wand and packing her things away.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Packing my things," she replied in a bored tone, not even bothering to look up.

"Why?"

"Because I'm leaving," she slammed the case in her hands shut before heading for her bedroom door.

Severus reached out and grabbed her by the arm, "Lyra."

"What?" she spat, glaring up at him. He tried casting legilimens but she rolled her eyes, pulling away from him and continuing into her bedroom.

"Why are you leaving?" he asked.

"You think someone as intelligent as you would've figured it out already," she said, "I'm pregnant."

"That's no reason to leave," he began, ready to give her a speech.

"It's not yours," she replied carelessly, flicking her wand at her suitcase and opening it, sending her clothes in.

Those words cut deep. Like a knife tearing through his heart and his stomach. He felt ill. He felt like crying. He felt so much. He felt too much.

"The wedding?" he asked, slightly dazed.

"Obviously," she replied, "I was drunk and I forgot to cast the charm."

"I should've gone with you," he said softly. His hands were trembling. A lump caught in his throat. Gods, he was going to lose her and he couldn't. "Lyra, we should talk about this," he said, attempting to say it as clear and precisely as possible.

"Talk about what?" she snapped, "About how I fucked someone else?"

"Lyra, you don't need to leave," he said, "We can sit down and talk about it, we can discuss your options."

"What options are you referring to?" she asked, "Do you think I'd shed pureblood?"

He swallowed hard as his insecurities began to bubble up. Of course she'd screw someone pureblooded, how could he live up to that? How could he compare?Desperation began to take hold of him as he tried to cling to Lyra and the remains of their relationship.

"Lyra, I still want you. We can still be together, we can raise this child together."

"You want to raise a kid that isn't yours?" she asked, "You don't even want your own fucking kid."

"I could it if it was with you," he insisted.

"I knew I was a good fuck but I didn't know I'd make you this desperate," she said with a laugh, "How pathetic."

"I thought- I thought you loved me," he said, becoming uncertain of himself.

She laughed again, "Oh Sev." She stepped forward and stroked his cheek in a condescending way for a brief moment. "You really should've listened to your doubts all along. I've been owling Ilya since I saw him at New Years. I fucked him when I got my Order of Merlin and I fucked him at the wedding."

"You're lying," he shook his head in disbelief.

"I only kept you around to warm my bed and because you were a decent shag," she said, "Our arrangement was convenient and amusing."

"No, what about Lucius?" he asked, "He slapped you and made you cry."

"I needed him to believe it so you in turn would believe it," she shrugged, "It was also amusing getting under his skin. Who knew I could piss him off that badly just by fucking his best friend? I've always known my place but god, he hasn't shut up about it for years. I can't believe he was going to marry me off to Carrow. I thought I'd see how he felt if I fucked one of his other Death Eater buddies. It was enough for him to give up that idea."

"So I was just a pawn in your game?"

"Come on, Sev," she said with a smirk, "Don't think about it like that. It was more like you were a toy that I got bored of, something that was filling the place until something bigger and better came along and it did."

He closed his eyes and swallowed, his mind and thoughts were now twisted with doubt as Lyra's words poisoned him.

"Did you really think you'd ever be good enough for me?" she asked with a small laugh, "A filthy mudblood fit for a Lestrange."

"Don't say that word," he said.

"Mudblood?" she said in a taunting tone, "But that's all you are Sev, a mudblood who thinks he's better than the rest when you are no better than the dirt on my shoe."

A large crack echoed in the room.

Severus' hand had connected with Lyra's face, slapping her. Her head turned from the impact but she gritted her teeth and looked at him with a fire in her eyes and firm expression. "Get out," she said, "I'm done."

Severus turned his heel and left, slamming the door in his wake. He barged through packs of students with a furious expression on his face. He barrelled into his quarters and tore the room apart with his wand, smashing things, tearing apart his furniture, allowing it to break as he threw each piece.

He couldn't allow himself to stop. Memories of the past few months threatened to play in his head. Her voice was already taunting him.

Heavens. How could he be so naive to think that she would love him. Of course it was all a sick ploy. He shouldn't have expected anything better from a Lestrange. How she had gotten under his skin and torn him apart.

He didn't even realise that an angry yell was ripping through his throat the entire time. Once he had run out of energy he looked around and saw the mess he made, he fell to his knees and he cried.

God. How his heart ached like no other time before it. It was almost as though his heart had hardened and shattered into a million pieces, each shard imbedding itself in his chest.

How could he allow himself to be played by her?

There was no chance that she ever loved him. Who would love someone as ugly and horrible as him? She just used him and now he was left here, burning in the aftermath of their love affair.

He stayed there and cried, sobbing until his tears ran dry and numbness overcame him.

It may have been an hour or two before he found the strength to get back up. He headed for the bathroom and stripped, getting into the shower. He allowed the water to wash over him, hoping it would wash her away but her touch still haunted him. Her essence was still thick in the air and all around him. He reached for the bar of soap and began to scrub, trying to erase any trace of her but it still lingered.

He cried out once more, falling to the floor. His knees were pressed up to his chest and he just held them tightly to himself, trying to give himself so comfort. He felt so empty, so hollow, so broken. Oh, how he'd been played.

Severus didn't come out of his room for days. He didn't want to eat. He couldn't even sleep in his own bed because he had shared it with her. Everything was tainted with the memory of her. Everything just hurt way too much and he wanted it all to stop so he tried to numb himself with alcohol.

"Severus, what do you think you're doing?"

He turned his head and saw that the Headmaster had breached the protective barriers he had placed around his quarters. He gritted his teeth and turned back, staring at the fireplace that flickered with a fire.

Albus approached him and sat next to the Potions Master, "Interesting redecorating."

Severus didn't answer him, his eyes were fixed on the flames.

"Severus, let this be a lesson to not get distracted," he said.

"So did you put her up to this?" Severus asked, "Because it doesn't make sense. None of it makes sense. Lyra was genuine."

"Lyra is a Lestrange, through and through," Albus said, "She is her mother's daughter, as cruel as Bellatrix no doubt. I was misguided, Severus and I apologise. I should have listened to you when you expressed your concerns, she had us all fooled."

There was still a part of Severus that doubted it, doubted that she was that cruel. Surely it was a rouse. Lyra had felt so real, so loving, so genuine. His mind had been swirling with the memories of her for days.

"Severus, I need you to be strong," Albus continued, "I know it is hard to have your heart broken once more but please, allow it to strengthen your resolve than weaken it."

"For what purpose, Albus?"

"Lily Evans' son will be starting this coming term," he said, "And I fear that is when Voldemort will attempt his return. You must protect him, Severus."

"I can't," he said, his voice was broken.

"You can and you must."

 **Author's note:** I wanted to leave this blank but I can't just leave without saying goodbye. What an adventure but there's still so much more to come. I plan on taking a small break to go back and fine tune some things and then start posting what I have written of the sequel which will be titled Keeping Promises. Please comment, let me know what you think otherwise you can contact me on tumblr. I'm still roleplaying Lyra there so hit me up with your questions :) under the usernames sleeplesspensieve and lyraxlestrange


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